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Jel - Soft Money

Rating

RIYL

cLOUDDEAD
DJ Shadow
RJD2
Massive Attack

Tracklist

1. To Buy A Car
2. All Day Breakfast
3. No Solution
4. All Around
5. Thrashin
6. Sweet Cream In It
7. Soft Money, Dry Bones
8. Know You Don't
9. WMD
10. Mislead
11. Nice Last
12. Chipmunk Technique

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Anticon is the cool for the cool. It’s the label and collective that gives underground hip-hop widespread recognition. If you’re out to be Miles Davis in a world currently dominated by Rick Brauns, then Anticon is for you.

Among the brilliant, if not eccentric, Anticon emcees and producers is Jel, who in February released his first full-length in nearly three years, titled Soft Money.

Admittedly, I’m not an Anticon connoisseur, but I’ve had various encounters with the label, the group, and its artists. But in all honesty, Jel’s Soft Money was my first, sit-down session with an Anticon artist, and let me say, it did not disappoint.

Some Anticon releases have been too abstract for me to handle – as much as I appreciate experimental acts – but Jel splits the road perfectly between accessibility and originality much like DJ Shadow and RJD2. Blending bass-heavy trip-hop, with turntablism and jazz, Jel follows a blueprint similar to Shadow’s Endtroducing throughout Soft Money.

Although there is some emceeing, like on album opener “To Buy A Car,” Soft Money is primarily an instrumental record. While it works for the most part, many of the tracks have similar structures, which equals less dynamics and variety; however, Jel is intentionally smooth, which lessens the stress for wide dynamics.

Filled with chilled-as-fuck beats, Soft Money is the soundtrack to bump for the after party to show your friends you’re legit. It’s not the most original record you’ll hear, however. In fact, one might hear it and think it’s somewhat of a rip-off, but nevertheless, Soft Money is still a solid record.

--Kamran Rouzpay