Prefuse 73 – Rivington Não Rio

Four years since Scott Herren’s last release under any of his multiple guises, and it appears he has enjoyed his thinking time. Returning to the very essence of sampling he became known for, Rivington Não Rio refuses to let groove dictate the flow; beats, bursts and melodies are blended down by an electronic furriness which in many ways dictates the lead. It’s only his Excusing 140 Jabs Interlude (feat. Milo & Busdriver) that flashes back to Herren's R’n’B affections, lyrics hilariously mismatching the comparatively gentler beauty of the record: "Use my little finger to spread shit on far-fetched items."

With gritty synth, Infrared (featuring Chicagoan songwriter Sam Dew) tidally pulls you in and out of gigantic waves of vibration, migrating between easy listening and abstraction – Herren reinstates his talent for reframing the harshest sounds to something smooth and compatible. Whilst every track is not a revelation, it still takes some sorcery to stretch spectrums of texture and space as far as Prefuse 73. [Luisa Brown]