Mr. Hill - Snaps LP
Seeing as the Oldominion 10th Anniversary is coming up, thought I’d get you up to speed. Here’s Hill’s slept-upon 2006 LP, and here’s a review from Mr. Charles Mudede:
Snaps! is a compilation of recent work by Seattle beat-builder Mr. Hill. The CD’s 12 tracks feature guest performances from leading, regional MCs, including Anaxagorous, Onry Ozzborn, JFK, and Boom Bap Project. Mr. Hill’s reputation primarily rests on the music he’s produced for the members of the Oldominion universe. In the way that RZA’s sound defined the Wu-Tang Clan, a large part of Oldominion’s sound, and by extension much of the Pacific Northwest’s sound, is defined by Hill’s musical instincts and ideas. Strings are his specialty, which he employs for cinematic effects and moods that correspond with Gothic architecture and the dark factories of the industrial revolution. But as Snaps! makes clear, Mr. Hill is not confined to the cathedral aesthetic that he regularly programs for associates of Oldominion—particularly Greyskul, Onry Ozzborn, and Barfly. (Mr. Hill’s new collaboration with Barfly, Nite Owls, is worth checking out.)
Some of the beats on Snaps! are jovial (’Saloony’), others are catchy (’As I Talk’), and many are surreal ("English"—a track that successfully loops a Northwest thunderstorm with vocals from a Bollywood score). The disc’s peak points are occupied by the Silent Lambs Project: as a group, “Runnin Traffik,” and as solo efforts, Jace Ecaj’s “Workshop” and Silas Blak’s “Unorthodox Skill.” Mr. Hill and Silent Lambs Project must never end their working relationship. Nor should Mr. Hill, who is currently building beats for Kool Keith, ever abandon the boom-bap gothika that he helped to create—it so accurately captures the spirit of a part of the world that has too many serial killers, too many days without sunshine, and too many people jumping to their deaths from the Aurora Bridge.
6 Comments
Stanley 1 year, 6 months ago
“In the way that RZA’s sound defined the Wu-Tang Clan, a large part of Oldominion’s sound, and by extension much of the Pacific Northwest’s sound, is defined by Hill’s musical instincts and ideas.”
Hill/Snaps is one of my favorite producers/albums.
But, I think Pale Soul, Bishop I, and Onry Ozzborn all deserve equal credit to Hill for developing the OD/NW sound if you look at the album credits.
daws1 1 year, 6 months ago
first time i’ve liked dude’s writing i’ll check this out
PS 1 year, 6 months ago
Where’s my meantions?!
lar 1 year, 6 months ago
“I think Pale Soul, Bishop I, and Onry Ozzborn all deserve equal credit to Hill for developing the OD/NW sound if you look at the album credits.”
cosign, stan
lar 1 year, 6 months ago
the Blak, Candidt, and NyQwil joints are all fire
Trench coat hangs with the blonde bangs, golden! 1 year, 6 months ago
hey! this is great! i bought this the day it came out, but never opened it. now i can finally listen to it! and save the sealed one for my grand children. thanks LAR. i love life!!!!
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