King Britt

Philadelphia’s King Britt is known for his wide and varied sonic excursions under different monikers. For this project he has settled on his own name and hip-hop as the musical focus. The latest in BBE’s Beat Generation series is apparently conceptually inspired by the movie Brother From Another Planet and this is most apparent in the observant poetic spoken word interludes from DJ Rich Medina. His words urge a reconsideration of what’s important in everyday life and King Britt’s production consequently favours a stripped-down, minimalist approach as if to convey a need to get back to basics and the featured lyricists take the cue, often aspiring to different existences. While Bahamadia ("Transcend”), Capitol A ("Caught Out (There))” and Mosez Gunn ("About Face”) nail this, the sparse approach to some of the tracks, while conceptually understandable, takes some getting used to. Ironically, when extra layers and vocalists are added, some of the best moments on the disc appear. The jazz-funk groove of Toronto vocalist Ivana Santilli’s "Superstar” hearkens favourably back to the flavours of Britt’s first Sylk 130 project and Lady Alma adds her customary grace to "Love’s Time.” While it boasts a heavy-hitting guest list and a laudable concept, Adventures in Lo-Fi’s attention-grabbing moments stand out more overall.