Aquakultre & DJ Uncle Fester
Bleeding Gums Murphy
Black Buffalo Records
Halifax, NS
RIYL: A Tribe Called Quest; The Pharcyde; Songs in the Key of Springfield
Hot on the heels of his excellent May 2020 album, Legacy, Aquakultre returns with another electrifying full-length collaboration with DJ Uncle Fester. As Gary Suarez wrote earlier this year, the one-producer-one-rapper format is a storied recipe for sonic consistency. Bleeding Gums Murphy proves this point, serving up jazzy, Native Tongues-influenced hip-hop with socially conscious lyrics from a crew at the top of their game.
While Legacy found Aquakultre’s Lance Sampson backed up by his band of hyper-talented instrumentalists, here he’s joined by a gaggle of guest rappers that includes fellow Haligonians Ghettosocks, Tachichi, and Corey Writes. The scorching sound of live sax played by Anthony Rinaldi bolsters Uncle Fester’s boom-bap production on album standout “Hard Reset” and the crackling, sample-filled “Eye To Eye.”
Another recurring element filtering throughout these 11 songs is the voice of Bleeding Gums Murphy himself. The genius jazz man behind Sax On The Beach was misunderstood by everyone except Lisa in his lifetime, but Aqualkultre’s second standout album of 2020 should propel him in his rise as a musical hero.
– Jesse Locke
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