The hip hop for the future has finally arrived! WERD! First release on the new label Robot’s Don’t Sleep founded by Robot Koch (Jahcoozi): ROBOT KOCH vs CEREBRAL VORTEX - After Shocks is another great installment in the collaboration of this promising duo.
I have been eagerly waiting for this EP after being totally overwhelmed by Robot Koch’s beats and Cerebral Vortex’ ranting on one of the best anthems of last year – Vortex Cookies (Upside Down EP on Jakarta records). Robot Koch is the main ‘electro-engineer’ man from Jahcoozi and quite skilled remixer who has collaborated with Th’Mole, Mochipet, King Cannibal, Modeselektor, Missil, Tolcha, RQM (The Tape), to mention just a few names. I’m quite a fan of his analog synth, glitch based, multi-layered electronic productions, and when he joins forces with such a talented guy as Cerebral Vortex, the end result must deliver proper quality. 
Cerebral Vortex is part of 215 The Freshest Kids getto-tech duo (with Buddy Leezle) which contributed extensively to the development of hyphy scene in SF and came to my radar at first on Mochipet’s Microphonepet – contagious riddims with fantastic flow stood out of the entire release (my personal view at least, but I believe many listeners agree). It’s great that Cerebral Vortex continues his solo career in the same vein and makes use of his fantastic vocal skills.
The EP includes 8 tracks, with the title After Shocks definitely having a potential for a hit of Vortex Cookies proportions. Hip hop for the future for real! A sick combination of analog synth sound (e.g. moog, jupiter, juno) and flawless and totally contagious vocalizations make the entire shitty top-40 rap look like the work of completely unoriginal, poser music morons. A combo of a European producer and a Texas-born rapper easily outdistance big names in this bizniz. Well, on the other hand, mainstream hip hop has been dead for years and should not be treated as a reference point for any comparisons involving artists who REALLY want to create interesting music. Thankfully, the entire armada of new, young music-loving people fed up with hollow glamour of shitty rappers and lazy producers is busy working on saving good rant and production skills which years ago were the solid base of hip hop culture. Welcome to glitch hop! Robot Koch and Cerebral Vortex are on the forefront of this new movement.
Other tracks on this EP:
How you want it – similar to After Shocks, with more electronic improvisations but the same creative vibe and flow, another solid glitch hop for the future.
Soundboy – mellow, chill-out sunny riddim clashed head-on with heavy dubstep bass and analog synths. Funky hard step J
There are also 2 very good remixes of After Shocks, by:
- Stagga Super-heavy, inhuman metallic Stagga’s trademark wobble adds artificial edge to the After Shocks in a totally dancefloor-oriented banger remix. TIP!!!
- Flako Berlin-based hip hop producer (great remix of Vortex Cookies on the previous EP) delivers another solid reworking of the title track, adding even more flow and head-banging capacity to the duo’s music. The bundle also includes the instrumentals of this remix.
Apart from that the package includes After Shocks accapelas, and quite a nice bonus – namely analog synth sound samples utilized by Robot Koch in the production to be freely used by any producer out there wishing to remix RK/CV tracks or just incorporate them in their own stuff.
In general, If I were you and if I were into hip hop for the future I would grab this EP immediately. Quality all across the board.
9 stars out of 10 in my private ranking.
This year really spoils me with constant supply of good music, and so much great stuff is still to be released…