About this item

On 'Dead Channel Sky', Clipping texture-map the twin histories of hip-hop and cyberpunk onto an alternate present where Rammellzee and Bambaataa are the superheroes of old; where Cybotron and Mantronix are the reigning legends; where Egyptian Lover and Freestyle are debated endlessly, and Ultramag and Public Enemy are the undeniable forefathers; where the lost movements of 1980s and the 1990s are still happening: rave, trip-hop, hip-house, acid house, drum & bass, big beat—the detritus of a different timeline, the survivors of armed audio warfare. Clipping are no strangers to sci-fi: two of their records were nominated for Hugo Awards (one of science fiction’s top literary prizes), and a novella spun-off from their music was nominated for a third. On 'Dead Channel Sky', Clipping’s co-conspirators include everyone from the guitarist Nels Cline, to their labelmates Cartel Madras, rapper/actor Tia Nomore, and wordsmith Aesop Rock. Diggs is known for intricate lyrics and rapid-fire rapping, and the tracks that Snipes and Hutson build in the background are no less complex. All of the above serves to give us a glimpse of an adjacent possible present, where hip-hop and cyberpunk are one culture.Binary stars are often perceived as one object when viewed with the naked eye. Like those twin sun systems, it’ll take some special equipment and some discerning attention to pull the stars apart on this record. As Diggs barks on the fire-starting 'Change the Channel': Everything is very important!

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: A blazing new transmission from raucous noise-hop electronic powerhouse, Clipping. Startling political and societal discourse atop snaps of industrial glitch and roaring, hi-nrg acid. A hell of a return.

TRACK LISTING

1. Intro
2. Dominator
3. Change The Channel
4. Run It
5. Go
6. Simple Degradation (Plucks 1-13) (with Bitpanic)*
7. Code 8.Dodger
8. Malleus (with Nels Cline)
9.Scams (ft. Tia Nomore)
10.Keep Pushing
11."From Bright Bodies" (Interlude)*
12.Mood Organ
13.Polaroids
14.Simple Degradation (Plucks 14-18) (with Bitpanic)*
15.Madcap
16.Mirrorshades Pt. 2 (ft. Cartel Madras)
17."And You Called" (Interlude)*
18.Welcome Home Warrior (ft. Aesop Rock)
19.Ask What Happened

*CD-only