For those unfamiliar with Markus Kienzl, he is perhaps better known for his work as a founding member and key figure of the Vienna-based electronic-dub-collective Sofa Surfers. Density is his second solo album, and it's appropriately named.
Opener 'Point of No Return' sets the scene, an apocalyptic vista portrayed over slow, heavy trip-hop beats and a weight, dubby bass. It's no picnic, and 'For Real' takes a turn for the heavier as Keinzl raps his dark lyrics over a grinding industrial bass groove and clattering rhythm.
It's a far cry from the chart-pap that passes as rap and hip-hop in the mainstream, and you won't find any babes or bling in Keinzl's bleak, barren world as he takes the listener on a trip through the grim realities of life. There's little respite along the way: 'Alter Ego' is slow and eerie, and 'The Electrosacher Twist' delivers a multi-voiced narrative over a deliberate, sonorous aural backdrop, while 'Scream' is the electronic soundtrack to a nightmare.
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A laugh a minute it isn't: dark, sinister and intense it is.
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