Album of the Week: 700 BLISS - Nothing to Declare

In a time where the artistic origins of basically every genre of music has been lost to the almighty dollar, arguably dance music and hip hop more so than most in 2022, the fact that two of underground modern music’s brightest lights who have been collaborating for nearly a decade - Moor Mother and DJ Haram - are not only less compromising in their artistic vision than ever but have now released their debut, full-length album, is some assurance that indeed it is “still about the music”... at least for visionary artists like these.

For those not familiar, the two artists behind 700 Bliss are absolute powerhouses in their own rights. For nearly a decade, Camae Ayewa has been bringing her unique and extremely impactful approach to experimental, electronic hip hop across a range of records and a large number of collaborations and remixes, working with the likes of The Avalanches, The Bug, Sons of Kemet, and many more - including, of course, DJ Haram.

DJ Haram, a member of the influential electronic music collective Discwoman, has been pushing her percussive, sub heavy take on dance music for over half a decade now, expertly blending elements from more DIY noise style scenes with the big, bassy club music to great effect.

Together, Moor Mother and DJ Haram are truly greater than the sum of their parts with each artist’s expertise a complete compliment, as opposed to competitor, of the other’s style. Moor Mother fills out Haram’s expansive, atmospheric productions with ease, bringing and adapting her constant, confident, witty, and at times surprisingly pop-culture referentially (Korn reference, anyone?!) lyricism to Haram’s beats, be they trappy, boom bappy, or just downright experimental and twisted… it all works, it all inspires, and it’s all like nothing else you will likely hear for a long time - until the next 700 Bliss record, that is.

700 Bliss’ new record Nothing to Declare is out now via Hyperdub

The best of the rest of this week's records:

Alfie Templeman - Mellow Moon [AWAL] ENG

Pop

Dehd - Blue Skies [Fat Possum] USA

Indie Rock

HAAi - Baby, We're Ascending [Mute / PIAS] AUS

Electronic

Jean Carne, Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad - Jean Carne JID012 [Jazz Is Dead] USA

Jazz

Just Mustard - Heart Under [Partisan] IRE

Alternative

P.H.F. - Purest Hell [Danger Collective] NZD

Electronic / Pop

Stars - From Capelton Hill [Last Gang] CAN

Indie Pop

Wilco - Cruel Country [dBpm] USA

Indie / Alt Country

Your Old Droog - YOD Stewart [Mongoloid Banks / Nature Sounds] USA

Hip Hop