Muggs - Dust (2003)

DJ Muggs - the musical brains behind hip-hop act Cypress Hill - has really spread his wings with this, his third solo release. Quite unlike any of his work with Hill, the album is closer in spirit to the eclecticism of Bristolian trip-hoppers Massive Attack, Portishead and Tricky (Muggs produced the latter’s 1999 Juxtapose album). The influence of these acts make Dust a dark labyrinth of hip-hop, soul, rock and reggae, which might lead one to believe that this would be an uneven affair. Fortunately, Muggs has enough skill and innovation (plus a well-chosen array of guest vocalists) to update this over-used formula into something fresh.

While elements of rock and rap remain, this is quite unlike the fusion embraced by Cypress Hill on their last outing, Skull and Bones. The "rock" here is of a rather more tasteful variety: closer to moody psychedelia than Limp Bizkit-crunch.

Opener "I Know" is an underwhelming slice of Massive-style paranoia and gloom, but the highlights come thick and fast after this. "Rain" and "Faded" (both featuring vocals from Buckcherry’s Josh Todd) are ideal summer listening: sunny, lazy psychedelic rock. Additionally, "Morta" and closing track "Far Away" fuse murky rhythms with lush string arrangements and breathy female vocals (courtesy of Amy Trujillo) to gorgeous effect: the kind of thing Tricky got bored with far too early in his once-promising career. "Fat City", the collaboration with Greg Dulli (singer with soul-rockers The Afghan Whigs) is another highlight: a playful slice of hip-hop/soul, with an infectious piano motif providing the hook.

The sense of adventure rarely lets up, partly due to the series of electronic oddities that punctuate the proceedings. "Niente" is the best of these: a pretty electronic instrumental, complete with affecting Boards of Canada-style children’s voices in the background. "Chasing Shadows" is a short snippet of sharp rhythms and haunting strings, while "Cloudy Days" submerges a pretty Spanish-guitar melody in electronic whirrs and static.

Things are let down slightly by a few by-the-numbers trip-hop tracks. The aforementioned “I Know” is luckily only joined by “Gone for Good,” in this manner. Even Everlast’s pleasing growl can’t rescue the latter song, but it points towards the fact that nearly none of the tracks have nothing good to be said for them.

Several of the trip-hop originals are currently stuck in a creative cul-de-sac, unable to bring their once-remarkable sound into interesting new places. For instance, Massive Attack are content to make go-nowhere dinner party music, while Tricky is struggling to lift his music out of the pit of ugliness he dragged it into with his 1998 album Angels With Dirty Faces. Thankfully, Muggs has succeeded where they have failed: Dust is an accomplished triumph. Trip-hop has been brought into the 21st century, at last. stylusmagazine

TRACKLIST

1 I Know 4:46

2 Rain

Vocals – Josh Todd 5:05

3 Niente 1:51

4 Morta

Co-producer – Reggie Stewart 3:10

5 Faded

Vocals – Josh Todd 4:01

6 Chasing Shadows 1:32

7 Tears 3:46

8 Cloudy Days

Bass – Mike "Crazy Neck" Sims 1:51

9 Fat City

Vocals – Greg Dulli 3:55

10 Believer

Co-producer, Guitar – Reggie Stewart 3:16

11 Gone For Good

Guitar, Bass – Reggie Stewart

Vocals – Everlast 4:04

12 Blip 1:23

13 Dead Flowers

Piano – Reggie Stewart 3:48

14 Far Away 5:05

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