Gonjasufi – A Sufi And A Killer

So...no changes. since 2009. "Sufi and a Killer" its one of the best indie/electronic records of our times.
So many highlights. Just listen and enjoy!

I want the vinyl!! This album is incredible!!

Cracked and dust-blown psychedelia. Half-heard melodies that bear repeated listening, only becoming clear after several plays.
Really inventive song-writing and production. An album that gets better and better with time. A masterpiece / total classic from start to finish.

Indian-inspired psychedelia from Gonjasufi, whose debut, A SUFI AND A KILLER, is drenched in dub and guitar effects. "Kobwebz," despite its spelling, invokes a slow caravan across the Gobi ("Ageing" takes the same country-western track, though with a bit more twang), while "Ancestors" benefits from Flying Lotus' abstract hip-hop beats. Then, to provide contrast, comes the sleazy listening of "Sheep" which ends on a rocking note. Sumach Valentine's vocals are often processed to the point of being harsh, but they fit with the general lo-fi vibe. The eclecticism keeps on coming: the aggressive electric guitars of the brief "Suzie Q"; the funk groove of "Kowboyz & Indians"; the warm, crackling soul of "Change"; the disco sweetness of "Candylane"; the sparse digitalia of "Holidays." "Duet" shares a sampled riff with Broadway Project's "Born Spirit" -- again showing how it's not the sample that makes a track. The breaks and sadness of "Advice" rumbles with a dark energy, and the Indian influence (in the form of a sitar) makes a reappearance on "Klowds." Unique and fascinating stuff.

What becomes apparent right away is Sumach Ecks' nonchalant execution and approach to music. His falsetto distorted vocals filtered through 60s psychedelia and lo-fi dub smoke, are at the heart of every song structure of each confident track. Mix into that the exquisite production by the one and only [mother-flippin] Gaslamp Killer, and you have a hit, that even with its peculiar sound, a label such as Warp is willing to back. First hearing Gonjasufi on Flying Lotus' Los Angeles (who described this sufi's voice as "timeless, incredible filfth"), I was almost sure that it was a sampled track from one of those dusty records found in a random garage sale somewhere between San Diego and Las Vegas. Imagine my surprise when I finally connected the dots! On this record, the duo (with a little help from FlyLo on "Ancestors" and Jon Ancheta as Mainframe on four tracks) clearly demonstrates that a great record can stand out all on its own, independent from the year, style, or the overly-produced sound one hears these days. In fact, I challenge you to attempt and replicate the sound of A Sufi And A Killer! From acid infused rock to influences from the pre-hip-hop era, the album strokes your inner mental child into a trippy daydream where the lyrics are as haunting as the ghost of Woodstock beats. Mind penetrating "She Gone", "Kowboyz And Indians", and an absolutely wonderful "Sheep", stay in your head long after the record has stopped playing. Really dug this debut, and I am looking forward to more output from the duo. Check out a remix album, The Caliph's Tea Party (Warp, 20010) featuring reworks of the tracks by the likes of Mark Pritchard, Bibio, Broadcast, and many other Warp favorites...