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Past attempts to fuse hip-hop with jazz have produced little more than cringes. But the mysterious Misled Children behind the sudden glut of Clutchy Hopkins recordings have stumbled onto something quite remarkable in their studio getdown with long-time Max Roach Quartet saxophonist Odean Pope – a funky, fuzzy jazz-hop collision that doesn’t suck in the slightest. Really.
Rather than trying to freestyle rhyme over improv jams or graft simple horn parts onto breakbeats, the Misled Children knock out their darkly dusted grooves – inspired as much by Mulatu’s Ethio-groove as by 70s zeuhl – while Pope provides the fiery focus that’s been missing from the monotonous Clutchy Hopkins releases. Heads will nod.
Top track: Dadadun
