Blockhead: The Music Scene

Label: Ninja Tune

Instrumental hip-hop record: Why does the notion seem tired and played-out? It’s probably a result of our (okay, my) laziness and the massive over-everythingedness of the music world that this would seem like a concept whose time had passed, especially when a producer like Blockhead can turn out a set as deep and thoughtful as The Music Scene. The Manhattanite is perhaps best known for his production work for Aesop Rock, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that he has a certain way with nonverbal narrative. The Music Scene is a pretty apt title, too, cause Blockhead employs it all: slinky beats drizzled with piano keys, classical guitar lines, jazz modes recontextualized by Vocodered vox, and on and on. Each of the 12 songs here springs to life as a wordless novella — this is how you know it’s art. (M.L. Thrope)