Alias – Fever Dream

Once synonymous with experimental hip-hop, Anticon has mostly evolved into a reliable fountain of summery approximations of sublime and ethereal electronica – but perhaps the label’s whole narrative arc can be charted through Brendon ‘Alias’ Whitney. Once a monolithic rapper – 2002’s The Other Side Of The Looking Glass is a classic of brooding and poetic menace – he has barely spat a rhyme since. On one hand it’s a shame to see his lyrical talent wasted, but on the other it’s a revelation to see Whitney develop as an instrumental producer.

Fever Dream is a suave cocktail of rolling snares, haunting synth structures, downtempo dub and jittering slices of shoegaze – tastefully evoking the strengths of various modern masters, from FlyLo to Amon Tobin – as swirling, cut-up vocals bounce gleefully around in the distance. As an addition to a formidable palette, this is some of Whitney's most mind-blowing work; still, we hope we'll hear him rap again. [Ali Maloney]