DJ Format & Abdominal – Still Hungry
DJ Format and Abdominal are back – not that they’ve really been away, they’ve just been busy with their own things – and, as the title goes some way to suggest, they’re still hungry. By which, they mean they still have things to prove. “That’s the sweet spot,” Abdominal tells us on the title track, “Time to see what you got.”
They’re a good fit for each other – Format is thoughtful, amusing, a rapper from the school of A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul, where Abdominal is harder, more Eric B and Rakim territory, albeit shot through with the kind of social awareness you’d get from the likes of Michael Franti. The music is percussive (massive basslines, thundering drums, good use of flutes a la Beastie Boys on Sure Shot) and the rhymes bounce. You think scratching and samples are cool? This is right up your street.
Ah, you might say, but hasn’t the world moved on? Aren’t the kids listening to Stormzy these days? You’re probably right. But maybe DJ Format and Abdominal aren’t for the kids (after all, they’ve been in the game for over a decade – listen to Behind the Scenes). They’ve got a little bit old for the vicious rap battles of their youth (Reflective Meditation Rhymes), they worry about household admin and they may not respond to your emails as quickly as they once did (No Time) – but they can still cut it. You only have to hear a song like Diamond Hammer to know that these guys are still rendering wack rappers dumb.
Listen to: Still Hungry, Behind the Scenes, Diamond Hammer
Buy DJ Format & Abdominal - Still Hungry on LP/CD from Norman Records