Instrumental hip-hop a not a style of music which draws listeners with its technical virtuosity. Yes, producers and highly cultivated fans can and do appreciate the technical aspects of a tune; the cleanliness of the sample chop, the compression of the kick drum, the dynamic of the note relationships, or the deft use of white noise. But the main attraction of instrumentals is the vibe they create and the feeling they evoke. Even the most base musical elements can offer a profound listening experience once they’ve been transfigured through a tasteful arrangement by the beatmaker.

Instrumental hip-hop offers more space for this transfiguration than most musical styles. There sometimes appears to be a tacit challenge for producers; “do the most with the least”. What great rapture or simple relaxation can you provoke with your small handful of musical elements? In this context, the depth and color of the feeling provoked by a beat determines how valuable that beat becomes for a listener.

WISDOM beats stone you. The face flushes and a tingle rinses down the spine. Cool and familiar, ripples of energy move out through the arms to the fingertips, raising goosebumps as they go. Undiluted calm envelopes the mind. A single note initiates a rush of clarity and throws the listener into a meditative state. WISDOM entertains and keeps the head moving. But plunge under the sublime surface vibe and the technical skill to the great beneath; the sound, a vibe, a sum greater than its parts, an understanding transmuted through syncopated drums and melody.

Exposure hasn’t fallen heavily yet on WISDOM aka Alec who resides somewhere in the Lone Star State. His work has been featured on a thorough compilation from San Francisco beats and lyrics label Fuzzoscope, and a tape from the steadfast lo-fi curators of Bandcamp, lofi.hiphop. His only at-length drop to date is “DINGE”, a 30-minute tape released on February 7, 2018, the unofficial world beats day. Before it appeared there were only a few short beats available from WISDOM on the Cloud, but quantity is not significant before quality. It may not come for a minute, but stay chooned for the next drop from this wise beatmaker whose momentum builds with each kick and snare.

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