Tha Swamp Fam - El Drogado
At first glance, El Drogado sounds like a shitty vapourwave album. Surprisingly, while the songs are slowed down in line with vapourwave, the songs are original written and produced; almost as if the artist wasn’t happy with their original takes, and instead tried slowing them all down by 50%. All 31, tiresome tracks.
Of course, there are some neat moments. The pummelling beats add to a genuinely absorbing atmosphere on È giunta l'ora. Daddy Has Been Waitin' contains really neat fuzz as a result of the slowing down of samples, as does the absorbing Jungle Bridge. Other songs with neat soundscapes include Eternal Roasted State (Swamp Temple), (Feelin' It) and Swamp Haze. Unfortunately, most of the track-listing is one-note and extremely repetitive. Furthermore, it’s very unoriginal – this sounds like a loose collection of random SoundCloud rap songs.
I have to hand it to Tha Swamp Fam. Despite over-abusing one technique, they’ve still managed to create something unique. In doing so, they’ve created a disconnect, though; the textural work can only go so far to mask the lack of meaningful composition. There’s barely any progression aside from the variety of tempos, as well as very little variation through its megalithic track-listing. This makes for an exhausting listen. A tighter selection of songs could have made a bigger impact, though only marginally. Unfortunately, no amount of post-production can mask a dull hip-hop album in disguise. Overall, El Drogado is an album I respect, though did not enjoy.
Bad
Listen to it here:
Tha Swamp Fam - El Drogado
