Brainorchestra has been forming his sound since he was fourteen; in his words, the music he is making today is exactly the music he dreamed of making then, thirteen years ago. ‘Big Brain’ is a smooth, piano-heavy parade of hip-hop from the cultural caldron of New Jersey. It has been shaped across multiple EPs and projects and arrives with unobtrusive confidence. This record doesn’t push the boundaries of hip-hop—it swims with the jazz that first suffused it in the late 80s. Brainorchestra is a true fan of the genre, adding his well-groomed production and understated flow to its canon on this mellow, precise debut LP.
22/30
A favourite: ‘10Racks’
‘Big Brain’ is out now, self-produced, self-released: @brainorchestra_
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