M.M.A

What a fitting name, because as things are right now I’d probably call GHOSTXMACHINE The Jon Jones of the Experimental, Lo Fi Hip Hop lane! He’s impressed me with all his singles and albums this far and with this gem from the past coming up for review you know I couldn’t sit back and let it left unchecked, the world needs to hear things so let’s talk! This is the 2021 album by MC -MIYAGISUN and Producer -GHOSTXMACHINE and together they drop this massive 17 track project that features the likes of -Siamese Jeans -DSAM -Devin Malek -ZDA And as I’ve come to expect from Ghost. This one is incredibly vast, create and experimental in nature. I love how he’s able to create these pockets of damn near extra terrestrial soundscapes that’s filled with every kind of influence and sample you can think of! Every beat has its own signature and timing which I absolutely adore. Albums that don’t feel like they have a linear pattern to them (when done right) are some of my favourites due to how trippy and life altering they can appear! Whether you want to take tracks like -Soul Assassin which I adored because of its variance in piano keys! It has like two lively layers of keys that go off in their own free lance forms that was done in beautiful fashion! That’s combined with that tasteful bass lines and experiential Jazz style drums that all come together to create a fever dream of sounds that I didn’t want to end! We have tracks like -TOONAMI DX which has alot more lowkey feel to it compared to the last track ‘literally and figuratively’ because it does have less keys but it replaces it with a more funky form of bass lines that’s accompanied by this high pitched chord progressions with some thudding drums that gives this track a more lucid effect to the brain that I also loved! On name alone the song -POOTIE TANG WANG had me intrigued and the beat proved even more so! This one has the methodical punch like sleep medicine. You’ve got those slow paced jazz horns in that frantic loop that’s combined with those dreamy keys and chords working in unison in the background with some of the most surreal drums I’ve heard in my life! There’s also a hint of tweaked strings that appear in that 2-3 second loop! Truly incredible sample! Besides the one track produced by -MIYAGISUN this album was a masterfully chaotic score that was presented by GHOST. It’s as if he cultivated every single psychedelic experience known to man and compressed it into sonic form! Something you have to hear to believe. When we discuss the MC side of things, we see a familiar name associated with GhOST’s beats (if you know you know) return to the forefront to showcase his expert style of equally chaotic and dynamic vocals that are somehow both subtle and compelling! That’s what he brings to the table and lord knows I’ve overused my fair share of ‘Karate Kid’ puns in other reviews so I’ll refrain from that here but he really is one of those MC’s who lets his natural unique style and low vibing charisma elevate each track that he’s on! Across these 17 tracks we have MIYAGISUN at a more mellow and droning tone to his bars than I’ve heard him on previous albums. But I felt that added to the mystic and the refreshing ambiance that made his verses feel chaotic and uncompromising compared to most others! Depending on the track he’ll either rock a more fast paced performer or a more cerebral version of his style. Again it’s his unpredictability on the mic that makes each song feel that much more fun because you’ll never know what he’s going to pull off next! Of course, his introspective poetry rap is the first thing I appreciated about him from the first thing I reviewed of his and it seems every new drop I hear it’s just amplified (old or new) he doesn’t seem to have a break in his lyricism! He’s also accompanied by a list of names I can’t remember covering prior and they help elevate said tracks with their own original characteristics and flows that provide dope chemistry with both MIYAGI and GHOST! Even though this album is 5 years old now it’s still worth listening. The production is atmospheric excellence and the MC work is just as good as I’ve heard! Let me know what you think!