Java.Oct.2016

Dadadoh has just released the most exciting
local hip hop album of the year, Radical,
which has been a while in the making after
a slow build-up of singles and a video here
and there. Some significantly different versions of the
songs have appeared previously that sounded more
like demos, but they have now been shaped into
album-worthy material.
The mix isn’t solely focused on hip hop; there’s a lot
of genre-bending experimentation, from synth-heavy
electronica to more soul-drenched R&B, which is
compelling, and the album’s pacing is perfect to
allow full enjoyment. Whether it’s in-your-face rap
excursions like “Do It” or the impressive fusion of
“Get You Away,” Bryan Preston AKA Dadadoh has
laid down one of the smoothest records of the year.
While Radical may technically be a solo album,
Dadadoh had plenty of help along the way. “I really
learned a lot about working with people through this
record,” Preston said. “People get the assumption
that if you’re a solo, you should do everything yourself,
but you actually have to work with as many people as
you can to make something really great! I can’t stress
the importance of keeping really good people around
you that understand your vision and believe in it as
much as you do.”
The album features guest appearances from MC/DC,
Mr. Uu, Dirty Dalla$, Kali Kal, WOLFZiE and Curt Flo,
as well as some conversation with folk punkster Andy
Warpigs. While Preston produced the album himself,
it was mastered by Scott Mitting (20 Ft. Neon Jesus,
Militia Joan Hart). The results are fantastic.
It all begins with “And We’re Back,” a skit of
Dadadoh being interviewed on a TV talk show
(Tiffany Michelle Hilstrom of Manic Monkeys is
the interviewer). There’s as much humor as there
is ambition in the opening bit, but the album that
follows is Dadadoh’s pure, undiluted vision, and the
skit provides something of a construct through which
the rest of the album can operate.
The album proper begins with the dark groove
of “No More,” which features MC/DC. The
arrangement is minimalist and relies on spare keys
over a deep bass line, long before the percussion
kicks in, which it slowly does. When the flow gets
going the song takes off, and it’s only moments
after the mention of Rick Rubin. Clever lyrics are
clearly Dadadoh’s wheelhouse, and this one’s full
of them from start to finish.
“Lonesome” continues the darker, low-key vibe,
and this time features Mr. Uu. I’m not sure if the
intention was to make hypnotic hip hop, but that
was the end result. This is the hip hop equivalent to
shoegaze rock, with arrangements as mesmerizing
as the circling, swirling vocals. It is one of the
most fascinating compositions on the album, as
introspective lyrically as it is engaging musically,
questioning the scene in the midst of finding strength
in the music.
One of the finest moments is Dirty Dalla$ joining
Dadadoh on “Just What You Like,” a soul number
that’s got a catchy sax part from Dalla$, with sexyas-hell
lyrics. The synth strings are simply icing on
the cake.
The pre-album single, “Do It,” captures the essence
of the record. It’s swanky and sexy, with arguably
the best delivery of verses on the record, while the
chorus is understated and more than suggestive.
It’s a fantastically masculine song that celebrates
a woman who seeks satisfaction frequently and
specifically with the protagonist. It finishes with a
rather humorous skit that should have been reserved
as a separate track but is a funny footnote.
Kali Kal joins in on the fun for “Real Good,” which
begins with a hazy intro and the sounds of female
ecstasy in the background. If there hadn’t been the
humorous sketch at the end of “Do It,” this would
work perfectly after it, thematically speaking.
It still works, and the break between the songs
definitely provides a pause to set you up for the
contrast in musical backdrops, as “Real Good” is
a much darker tune, explaining the details of one
woman’s sexual prowess.
The pristine intro is nearly dreamy on “In College”
before the sound becomes twisted and Dadadoh
announces, “I only fuck with girls in college.” This
should be another single, because it is lyrically
concise and musically brilliant. At times, when
Dadadoh is at his most succinct he delivers pure gold
like, “Say you got a couple demons? I think you got a
couple monsters girl.”
One of the highlights of the album is the smooth R&B
delivery of “Get You Away,” with a musical dressing
that sounds like The Avalanches and Preston’s best
vocal delivery on the record. It’s moving and beautiful
and seems literally ready to take the listener away.
It’s as accessible as it is psychedelic, and the trippy
mixing on the vocals only serves to strengthen it.
Mr. Uu joins again for “Kowasahki Trappin’,” which
may be a nod to Drake as much as it is to Asian
culture. The two songs with Mr. Uu present make a
strong argument that these two artists should join
up on the regular. This is one of the most energetic
and exciting tracks. You will be singing, “Bitch, I’m
Kowasahki Trappin’” to yourself after only one or
two listens.
“All This,” featuring Curt Flo, is a fantastic homage
to marijuana, in part. It’s another hypnotic number
with swirling vocals, turning round on themselves
to the refrain, “Man, I’m smoking all this reefer
and they can’t understand it.” Lyrically, the verses
are all over the place. Whether the song is about
college, sex or smoking weed, it’s almost an anthem
for someone young and talented enjoying the more
sensual side of life.
The spell is immediately broken by four minutes
and 20 seconds of “Silly Freestyle,” which appears
to be exactly that. It reminds me of Jay-Z’s “My1st
Song” for some reason; I can’t quite place it, but it
has that same vibe to it. Even though it is a silly
freestyle, it’s definitely one of the lighter moments
of the album and a good move in its placement for
the fun factor alone.
WOLFZiE collaborates with Dadadoh on “What I
Got,” a song so good it will also appear on WOLFZiE’s
album later this year. Dadadoh delivers one of his
best lyrical flows over the dream pop background
WOLFZiE has put together, with intense textural
landscapes, approaching a trip hop housing. It was
released as a collaborative single and it’s not hard to
hear why.
Radical concludes with the amazing, near indie
rock fusion of “Never (Invite Whack People to My
Shows).” An earlier version of the song was available
for a while, but it doesn’t hold a candle to this one.
It’s got fantastic cross-genre appeal and could pass
for a more experimental song by Beck.
It is striking how much musical territory is covered
on this album. It’s not just poetry set to some beats
here. There is some agile thinking and exciting
arrangements behind these songs. This is as much
about the music as it is the rhyme and the vision. The
authenticity is what makes the fantasy of the album
all the more understandable.
JAVA 31
MAGAZINE