Listen to 2 singles from the first instrumental LP by DJ Muggs the Black Goat
So far the Cypress Hill producer expands on the psyche rock vibe of his recent rap beats and revisits bass music for a new album on Sacred Bones.
In 2019 I wrote about the string of great albums that DJ Muggs had produced with the likes of Roc Marciano, Meyhem Lauren, Griselda, MF DOOM, Mach-Hommy and others. That winning streak continued through last year and now it looks like we’re gonna get a great instrumental album from him in the form of Dies Occidendum (Out March 12th on Sacred Bones).
The first single “The Chosen One” opens with a sinister piano line and a sample asks, “The dark side? How could you know anything about the dark side?” before unleashing some slowed-down gothic trap with rolling bass and choral vocals. It’s not the sound he’s known for but unlike previous forays into electronic music it’s got that dark cinematic vibe that feels like some Muggs shit (the movie samples don’t hurt it either).
“Nigrum Mortem” (video below) is where things really start to hit though. 70’s psych guitars, organs and layers of noise float over dubbed out live drums. If this was made of loops it would be right at home on a Westside Gunn record. It’s a great balance between hip-hop aesthetics of processing and collaging existing material with its own sonic fingerprint and taking advantage of the improvisation quality of analog instruments.
Both songs are also pretty minimal in that there are just 2 or 3 main elements coming in and out of focus and they do away with song structure in favor of an interesting composition from start to finish. Definitely excited to hear the full album.
