TURNTABLE LAB

the lab review

Many of those familiar with the tireless musician, producer and songwriter Guillermo Scott Herren often cite his Prefuse 73 as favorites from his vast catalog which has inspired a new generation of producers (Flying Lotus, Dabrye, Hudson Mohawke, etc). Guillermo has always remained one step ahead of the pack though by diversifying his sounds outside of the 'glitch hop' universe. With a love for South-American psychedelic music and Catalan folk melodies, Herren found inspiration for La Llama in the early 70s independent music scene that had briefly flourished in Recife, Brazil. Stones Throw is proud to release this record. Somehow a minimal Catalan psych-folk album inspired by Brazilian counter-current musical giants falls in line with Mars Volta-leader Omar Rodiguez Lopez's prog-rock opus Old Money and Madlib's Beat Konducta 5&6, a tribute to J.Dilla. It is sure that this album, an acoustic excursion, drenched in Puyelo Muns' breathy vocals, maintains some of the minimal electronic sensibilities that Herren allows to run throughout his different guises. But it marches to its own beat. Defiantly cerebral, not made for dancing, no "stand-out-single..." Well, for Stones Throw, that's just par for the course. La Llama fits perfectly in our ever-expanding musical tapestry.

reviewed by the mgmnt 05/28/2009