In a post IV wrote, "you know you're not gonna hear a gun shot in any of my songs," which I took to mean that he would not employ any sonic corniness in any of his music. Well, that was utter truth when listening to his album, "Drum Machines Have No Soul".
Minus the MC, his music is encompasses all aspects of a complete, golden-era Hip Hop record. It's jazzy, moody, soulful and profuse with breaks. On my favorite beat, Shapeshifting, he reinterprets a few of my favorite breakbeats, lays a ill horn loop and it bottoms with a very dope, very rhythmic bassline. The culmination of this menagerie of sound could easily be mistaken for a Pete Rock joint.
Another aspect of IV's music is that he seems to not limit himself when it comes to creating complete articles of music instead of sticking to the accepted formulas of beat making. His beats move...they change emotional states by the second, skillfully dodging the stagnancy that plagues most beat makers. Not to say that monolithic beats are wack....and I'm certainly not trying to assign IV the ridiculous avante-garde status, but in order understand the complexity of this album, you're gonna really need to listen. I mean, study. As a beatmaker myself, I'm totally inspired. Great work, IV. Now...go see for yourself what thinking outside of the box sounds like.
IV The Polymath
Drum Machines Have No Soul
