The Mayan calendar claims that the world will come to an abrupt end in 2012. We have all heard the hype and suffered through the movies. But even if that prediction falls flat, the pop-music business may still experience its own armageddon shortly thereafter. Are these just the ravings of another music-industry expert flying off the rails? Let's see.

In 2013, many classic recordings are scheduled to slip out of the control of their major labels. No, I’m not referring to odd recordings that no one actually collects. This list of records includes some of the top-selling albums of all time (abbreviated list below)!

Even though music-business insiders have been dreading this for years, the New York Times finally decided that it was a newsworthy enough subject and published a piece a few weeks ago about this issue (called “termination of masters”). Unfortunately, the reporter they assigned seemed to a have limited understanding of how the music business really works, as well as of copyright in general. In his article, he kept interchanging the word “songs” with “master recordings,” which littered his post with inaccurate statements like, “artists can claim their songs in 2013.”

Though this New York Times piece may be new info to outsiders, it is a subject that has long been on the minds of those concerned with the recording industry and artist rights. I reported about the subject in a 2008 Moses Supposes article. Here’s the reprint for your perusal:

Mayan meltdown at majors

The hot topic for the American Bar Association conference in 2008 was “termination of masters,” a little raison d’etre in the copyright act that supposedly levels the playing field for authors who are often at a disadvantage to the big, bad publisher (or record company, in this case). The copyright act states that after 35 years, the license or transfer of a work must “terminate” and revert back to the original author.

With so many variances in the law, we really need an iPhone countdown app to determine which master rights are soon to go bye-bye. But due to several exceptions, the albums that are immediately affected are those released in the US from 1978-1979. So in the year 2013, the following albums may no longer be property of their labels:

The Wall (Pink Floyd)
Van Halen (Van Halen)
Off the Wall (Michael Jackson)
Highway to Hell (AC/DC)
Joe’s Garage (Frank Zappa)
Tusk (Fleetwood Mac)
London Calling (The Clash)
Rust Never Sleeps (Neil Young)
Darkness on the Edge of Town (Bruce Springsteen)
Man the Torpedoes (Tom Petty)
The Kids Are Alright (The Who)
Some Girls (The Rolling Stones)
Fear of Music (Talking Heads)
Rickie Lee Jones (Rickie Lee Jones)

Basically my entire vinyl collection.

Oh, I almost forgot — Breakfast In America by Supertramp. (They can have that one.)

As you can see, this is not an insignificant list, and this list is in no way complete.

Though this may sound like a victory for the artists, keep in mind that without the threat of label litigation, we will likely see a de-facto public-domain-i-zation (I made that word up) of these masters. Artistically, this might be cool because now people can do wacky remixes and P2P them free of lawsuits. But it also means a complete deterioration of the one area that labels have been relying on for the revenue that it takes to invest in new artists: catalog.

And artists too?

Yes! To make matters worse, it’s not only the labels that could get the shaft here but the artist as well. You see, anyone who worked on the recording is considered “an author” and can apply for a “termination of [their] rights.” Anyone. Right down to the hanger-on who played the tambourine because he dropped off weed at the studio and someone said, “Hey, want to jam on the record?”

Imagine being a top heritage artist; you get your masters back and you’re looking forward to making a fresh deal for your classic recording, only to have an army of ex-entourage that you left in the wake of ascension shaking you down. Even if you’re legally in the right, the cost of litigation could bury you.

Several arguments have been forwarded to further define exactly who exactly “the author” is, but so far, each one seems to have just enough merit to pass summary judgment. The fact is that no one knows for sure exactly what or who “the author” will be in this context.

For my anarchist readers, who are presently wringing their hands with glee, I’ll say this: it’s one thing to want labels to suffer because they’re such greedy bastards, and it’s quite another to want to see a complete erosion of classic recordings and financial infrastructure.

This is only a small article on what is going to be a very, very scary topic over the next couple of years. Stay tuned.

What would you do if your label, which claimed that, after selling millions of CDs, you still owe them money, was going to lose rights to the masters? Would you take them back or renew your contract with them? I’ll give you some tips in the next piece on this important subject. What do you think is in the artist’s best interest? Post your answer below. Here’s a clue: it’s not the obvious answer.

Mo out

Junk Science & Scott Thorough: Phoenix Down (Modern Shark)

Junk Science & Scott Thorough: "Box Art"

After a sophomore album on Definitive Jux that leaned on R&B, jazz, and cut-up vocal samples, hip-hop duo Junk Science has made a new beginning for itself with its first release on MC Baje One's new label, Modern Shark.

Somewhere between a long EP and a mini LP, Phoenix Down is a nostalgic collaboration with producer Scott Thorough — offering a journey back to 1980s video-game scores with modern nerd rap on top.  The music consists of original creations on 8-bit synthesizers, with beats by Thorough and DJ Snafu, and it's the best of the duo's catalog.

Fittingly, there are plenty of video-game and pop-culture references, including the famous Contra code in the chorus of "30 Lives."  Baje also rolls a cast of video-game characters into "In the Shadow of the Colossus," but like most of the other tracks, the references serve as metaphors for a greater theme — here, it's about confrontation, fear, and heroics.

My Morning Jacket: Circuital (ATO)

My Morning Jacket: "Holdin' on to Black Metal"

On paper, My Morning Jacket seems predictable — a hairy, five-piece rock-'n'-roll band from Louisville, Kentucky, known for rocking epic shows with twangy Flying V guitars and boatloads of reverb. Yet time and again, Jim James and company have explored diverse sonic interests including psychedelia, dance, funk, and R&B.

These explorations approached excessive indulgence on the band’s last album, Evil Urges, in 2008. But now, on Circuital, MMJ has found a sweet spot; its spacey Americana merges with an ever-simmering intensity that never dips too far into left field but often comes to a roaring head of both electric and vocal wailing. The band is also capable of dialing things back into folk territory, as evidenced on the Neil Young-esque “Wonderful (The Way I Feel).” More than a return to roots that its title suggests, Circuital is a document of a band comfortable in its own skin.

- Text by Kyle Gilkeson

Shabazz Palaces: Black Up (Sub Pop)

Shabazz Palaces: "An Echo from the Hosts that Profess Infinitum"

Hovering below the radar and intentionally light on biographical info, Shabazz Palaces is a hip-hop project that's spearheaded by Palaceer Lazaro, better known as Ishmael Butler, a.k.a. Butterfly of Digable Planets.

But don’t expect to hear smooth, jazz-infused rap from Shabazz Palaces. After two acclaimed EPs, the group offers a discordant, avant-garde rap album with its first full-length, Black Up.

The opener, "Free Press and Curl," assaults the listener with relentlessly repetitive bass blasts. Melodic flourishes arise occasionally, but mostly, the production is little more than bursts of low-end buzz.  Black Up rewards listeners who have invested in quality woofers, especially given that Lazaro’s rapping is mixed low, and his flow doesn't often sync with album's rhythms.

But the record isn’t all avant-rap experimentation. Strong melodies and consistent beats make their appearances, such as on “Recollections of the Wraith” and “Endeavors for Never.”  These tracks feature female vocalists as well, and the contrast between the clear, melodic vocals and the vast majority of the record’s music — with Lazaro’s tinny-sounding, low-mixed rapping — is refreshing, breaking up a possibly monotonous listen.

- Text by Tom Harrison

Honorable Mentions

Artichaut Orchestra: T is for Teresa (Tzadik)

Cheer-Accident: No Ifs, Ands or Dogs (Cuneiform)

Dark Castle: Surrender to All Life Beyond Form (Profound Lore)

Isis: Live I 9.23.03

Jeremy Udden’s Plainville: If the Past Seems So Bright (Sunnyside)

Anders Koppel: String Quartets | Mezzo Saxophone Quintet (Dacapo)

Melvins: Sugar Daddy Live (Ipecac)

Ocote Soul Sounds: Taurus (ESL)

Richard Pinhas & Merzbow: Rhizome (Cuneiform)

Tartar Lamb II: Polyimage of Known Exits LP

Vast Aire: Can Ox 2010: A Street Odyssey (Fat Beats)

Alela Diane: "To Begin"

On "Pieces of String," a track from Alela Diane's 2004 record, The Pirate's Gospel, she sings, "If I had one, I'd play this on piano." Consider it wishful thinking. Whereas her first few albums, including the self-released Gospel and Forest Parade, are characterized by spare, plucked guitar and airy harmonies about simpler times, Alela Diane's newest, Alela Diane & Wild Divine, stretches its legs with a greater sonic palette and higher production value. Despite the warmth and homeliness of her folk tunes, Diane's a troubadour, and she's got the playlist to prove it.

Songs to Pack a Suitcase to, with Anticipation for the Highway
by Alela Diane

1.  Fairport Convention: "Farewell, Farewell"

A song of goodbye.

2. Ian & Sylvia: "Early Morning Rain"

This one is about airplanes & an aching heart, very applicable to packing for weeks away.

3.  Neil Young: "Good to See You"

"I am the suitcase in your hallway." Thanks for that, Neil.

4.  Gillian Welch: "April the 14th Part 1"

If you've ever been on the rough road, this song tells the story. "The girl passed out in the back seat trash / there was no way they'd make even half a tank of gas…"

5.  Gram Parsons & The Fallen Angels: "Six Days on the Road"

More aching hearts on the highway.

6.  Led Zeppelin: "Going to California"

I'm from California, and I travel a lot.

7.  Johnny Cash: "Let the Train Blow the Whistle"

I love traveling by train, and I love the man in black.

8.  Neil Young: "Albuquerque"

Another great tour song—one that counts the miles.

9.  John Prine: "Pretty Good"

This one just feels good to pack to.

10.  The Band: "Look out Cleveland"

Road, road, road.  A different city awaits me every night, and that's what this one is about.

Horseback: "The Golden Horn"

Jenks Miller is the sole constant in avant-metal outfit Horseback. Miller’s output — occasionally under his own name, often as Horseback, and recently with the Americana group Mount Moriah — has been a steady trickle over the past three years, with each release offering a new glimpse of the artist’s capabilities. To consider Miller’s art only in terms of his 2010 breakout, The Invisible Mountain, is like considering an iceberg only in terms of its tip.

Such an assumption is also likely to leave you confused upon hearing The Gorgon Tongue, which compiles Impale Golden Horn (Miller’s 2007 debut as Horseback) and last year’s ultra-limited Forbidden Planet cassette. Each is radically different from the other and also from the lumbering kraut-metal/Americana hybrid upon which Horseback built its reputation.

But that reputation came after more than two years of output, slowly revealing the character of the project and the Chapel Hill musician behind it all. Horseback began as a method for Miller to focus his concentration, to help manage his obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Impale Golden Horn — which Miller spent three years recording and reworking before its 2008 release — introduces Horseback as a patient, meticulous sculptor of sound. “Laughing Celestial Architect,” at 17 seconds past the 15-minute mark, is Impale’s second-longest track (behind the 17-minute opener, “Finale”). It’s a slow, smoldering rise, not unlike waking up as sunlight slowly fills the room. This mixture of ascendant dynamics, meditative repetition, and calming timbres is indicative of the collection. It's a bluff belying all of Miller’s work to follow. It makes the improvisatory follow-up seem almost ironically relaxed.

The collection of spare, solo, electric-guitar meanderings, billed as Approaching The Invisible Mountain and released under Miller’s given name, sounds as though it’s working through Neil Young’s Dead Man soundtrack, Earth’s lethargic Americana, and Loren Connors’ entrancing resonance.

Though Approaching indicates the melodic direction of The Invisible Mountain, its immediate followers found Miller exploring harsh electronics (Zen Automatica, Vol. 1: V) and monochromatic black metal with a heavy melodic undertow (the MILH IHVH 7”).  That exploratory instinct is pervasive in everything that Miller does. In interviews, he’s quick to offer in-depth analyses of his own work, with references to the sonic and philosophical explorers, like Keiji Haino and Aleister Crowley, that have informed his work.

He contributed an acoustic-guitar piece to the Jack Rose tribute compilation, Honest Strings. And in Mount Moriah — an ensemble informed by classic pop, Southern hymnal music, and country — Miller’s steady, resonant guitar leads offer a voice of reassurance behind the vocals of Heather McEntire (also of Bellafea).

And then there’s The Invisible Mountain, the sprawling, dramatic LP that grew a steady following over three separate releases (CD via Utech in 2009, vinyl via Aurora Borealis in 2010, and finally, wide release via Relapse later in 2010). It was a synthesis of Miller’s preceding catalog: the patient expansiveness of Impale, the spidery Italian-western riffs, and caustic vocal timbres. If anything, its vision was too singular for an artist so prone to explore so many directions.

Since The Invisible Mountain’s release, Miller has unleashed a flood of new material, mostly in limited quantities and all apart from his Invisible Mountain aesthetic. American Gothic finds Miller collaborating on vibrant, electronic drones with Nicholas Szczepanik; a split with Voltigeurs betrayed Miller’s prog fancies on keyboards (beneath a dense layer of blackened skuzz, naturally); and his latest, a seven-inch split with Locrian, finds Miller exploring his darkest monochrome, creating with sound the feeling of dirt piling on one’s chest.

Forbidden Planet is a standout of the recent batch of releases, though, and earns its titular reference to the 1956 sci-fi classic. A stark, desolate landscape scorched by inhuman shrieks and metallic, insectoid chatter, the cassette plays like the soundtrack to a doomed mission’s final moments — like Italo-horror staple Goblin gone to hell. It’s a jarring, uneasy listen, but it’s captivating in the same way that a garrote-taut horror movie is.

It’s a perfect foil to Impale Golden Horn, which presents a suddenly ominous tranquility before Forbidden Planet wages its terror. Miller’s knack for a slowly developing melody is consistent through both, though it’s employed to radically different ends.

Hearing the two together, as The Gorgon Tongue, is unnatural, but it works. The blissfulness of Impale counters the anxiety of Forbidden Planet the way that Forbidden Planet’s harsh sonic decay counters Impale’s respiring warmth. The Gorgon Tongue is, without a doubt, a Jekyll-and-Hyde combination, but Miller is clearly, audibly, the soul of both. It’s as much a unified statement of Miller’s artistic capabilities as The Invisible Mountain.

ALARM recently spoke with Dennis Callaci, general manager of the Inland Empire-based Rhino Records and The Mad Platter, about the sisterly record stores and the potential correlation between UFOs, Jim Morrison, and Vietnam (hint: he's not interested). To kick off the Q&A, here's a photo of Mad Platter employee Jonny holding his favorite record.

Jonny holds The Cure's Disintegration

What was your motivation for starting a music store? What is your background in music?

As with most owners of indie record stores, Rhino was started by folks that had, and continue to have, a passion for music. Chuck Oken Jr., the owner, grew up playing music, listening to music, and devouring music. He is in a band that is active, as are the majority of the folks that work at the store.

How are Rhino and The Mad Platter related? Do they serve different purposes?

When the original owner sold off the Rhino store, we could not name any other stores that we opened Rhino. So when The Mad Platter opened in 1983, we had to christen it as something other than Rhino.

What is the musical community like in the Claremont area?

The Inland Empire has always been a vibrant hotbed for musicians and artists. Right now, the current wave of bands that folks outside our area may be digging are Abe Vigoda, The Extra Lens, and maybe the apartment up the street where John Cage once lived.

Why do people choose your store over major or Internet retailers?

I would hope that people support our stores because we are nice folks that are fellow music lovers and not in cahoots with the man, but that is probably a pipe dream. The tactile act of flipping through records can’t be replaced by tapping endlessly at a sorrow-filled keyboard that has had to proofread far too many suicide notes. I still love shopping at other record stores on my days off. Poobah’s in Pasadena, Dr. Strange in Alta Loma, Fingerprints in Long Beach…

Give me three great albums that you've enjoyed lately.

- Numero has issued an incredible box set by Syl Johnson, a mother lode of hard-edged soul from the '60s and early '70s in a to-die-for box that includes six LPs and four CDs.

- The new Swans CD, My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky, packs a punch while retaining some subtleties.

- Sun Araw's Off Duty certainly melds the outré world of Sun Ra with psych and garage leanings.

Which albums has your store sold the most over the past month?

The new Brian Eno, The Growlers, Neil Young, Warpaint, and Madlib are selling briskly.

What is the weirdest special order request you’ve ever received?

We had a guy send a script based around The Doors, UFOs, and Vietnam asking if we would fund the project. Repeated voice mails and details followed. Did you know that Jim Morrison is from Venus?

Do you promote zines or visual art?

We have local zines that we buy directly from publishers or offer on consignment. We work with a couple of local galleries to promote the arts (dA Gallery and 50 Bucks in Pomona).

Any big future plans?

I need to find some dry and scaly skin [on which] to rub the 50 pounds of Jergens lotion I won in a lottery.

The Corner Record Shop in Grandville, Michigan started out in a tiny corner room behind an old Dutch bakery.  Eleven years later, owner Steve Williamson and his “no judgment” staff cater to young and old alike, offering their talents in the two-room spot with an audio-repair shop, stereo showroom, and venue (still in the works). Employee Brian Beckwith shares some thoughts with us.

The Corner Record Shop

The Corner's audio-repair room

Brian Beckwith at The Corner Record Shop

Give me three great albums that you've enjoyed lately.

Let's see — lately? Well, I would have to say the Surfer Blood: Astro Coast album. We are bordering on playing that LP out, but it's solid all the way through. If you have been through our store on any Saturday afternoon, then there is a good chance you have heard us blasting some Canned Heat.  They were just such an amazing band, and it's something that all us employees (ranging from 20s to 50s) can all agree on.

There are other albums that are standards around here too like The Only Ones, Television, Undertones, Steve Earle, Captain Beyond, Neil Young, and Bruce Springsteen, but our newest one is Arcade Fire: Suburbs. It seems that they just keep getting better with every album, and that's hard to do when you start off already being a great band.

Which albums has your store sold the most over the past month?

Well, maybe not the past month, but really [over] the past few months it has to be the new album by The National. It's died down a little lately, but for a while, we couldn't keep that LP in stock. Also, being that we are here in Michigan, our ex-Michigander Jack White's bands seem to sell really well all the time too. Whether it's used originals on Sympathy, or new deluxe ones on Third Man, they always do great.

What's the worst album that you've had to special order?

We really try to be the anti-cool-guy and -scenester record store, and we honestly believe that everyone here has a freedom to be into whatever they dig, to "each his own." But with that being said, stadium-country music is a plague on West Michigan. We love Buck Owens, Les Paul, and even Sons of the Pioneers — you know, the classics. So I cringe every time someone wants me to order them a Toby Keith, or some other terrible joke-based rock group with a dobro and fiddle calling themselves country music this month.

You sell and repair audio equipment at your record shop.  Does this attract more musical professionals to your shop over regular music shoppers?

It kind of goes both ways.  We get the same amount of people who come in for stereo issues (either shopping for a new one, or speakers, or getting one repaired) who wander over into the sections and end up buying some LPs, as we do record shoppers who find out that we do repairs and bring in some amazing old equipment that has been sitting in their basements unused for decades, and we get it up and running for them. Really, everyday we sell a bunch of stylus replacements, and belts, or pre-amps to people that don't have an old-enough stereo for a "phono" stage, and have to use their AUX inputs. Our repair guy, Roger, is a wizard when it comes to guitar equipment, so that does bring in people from the local music scene quite a bit.

What is the most difficult thing you’ve had to repair?

Not sure, but I remember a couple times where we had to wait months just for parts to be shipped to us from China.  That usually upsets the customers. But as for anything that comes in with a power cord attached to it, Roger is a Jedi with it.  It's crazy to see. I have even seen him fix a 1970s miniature light-up Christmas tree for a little old lady, and that took him about five minutes.

Why do people choose your store over major or Internet retailers?

I think it's because we try hard to do right by our customers. We know many on a first-name basis, and we actually care about tracking them down the music they are looking for, be it music they were into in college or back in the '60s, and sometimes just new kids looking to buy their first LP and turntable.

We have such a vast amount of vinyl here, everything from obscure '40s doo-wop, and '60s folk protest songs, to '80s avant-garde and punk, to the new releases coming out each week, and all the generic radio rock in between. We have the largest jazz selection on vinyl in Michigan, and a whole room with 40,000 45s in alphabetical order. I think that people enjoy the fact that we are an actual record store too, and almost some weird type of music time capsule because we still carry all the formats, from Edison rolls, 78s, 8-tracks, reel-to-reels, laser discs, and cassette tapes.

Hard-hitting jazz trio The Bad Plus knows how to pen pieces of proprietary gold. But its three members are also known for their genre-leaping renditions of rock songs, propelled by the chops of pianist Ethan Iverson, bassist Reid Anderson, and drummer David King. Here are the group's ten best covers (in order of release).

1. Nirvana: "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (These Are the Vistas)

This cover of Nirvana's massive hit features super-scaling runs and occasionally dissonant harmonies from Anderson in one of the final choruses. It ends brilliantly with the quick piano tinkling of Cobain's famed bridge: "And I forget just what it takes, and yet I guess it makes me smile. I found it hard; it's hard to find. Oh well, whatever…never mind."

2. Aphex Twin: "Flim" (These Are the Vistas)

The original version of "Flim" caught some listeners off guard on the Come to Daddy EP, what with its pretty piano line that evoked thoughts of Willy Wonka's "Pure Imagination." This rendition brings Richard D. James' IDM beats to life under the melodic synchronization of Iverson and Anderson.

3. Ornette Coleman: "Street Woman" (Give)

Coming as a rare occasion, The Bad Plus cover a fellow artist in its genre – and a revered one at that. Originally from Coleman's 1971 album Science Fiction, "Street Woman" is bouncy, heavy, cheerful, and threatening – all while skillfully alternating rhythms.

4. Pixies: "Velouria" (Give)

If you're not looking at the track listing to Give, you'll have no idea that you're hearing a Pixies song until near the two-minute mark. This version begins soft and somber, spreading out Charles Thompson's melody over King's distant jingling and tapping. After the early minutes of building, King breaks into a rock beat for some of Iverson's mean improvisation.

5. Black Sabbath: "Iron Man" (Give)

After you hear The Bad Plus' rendition of "Iron Man," you won't go back. Far heavier than the original, this version cracks into full gear when Iverson's low notes thunder over his down-trickling scales, which come raining ominously from the intro. Iverson again grabs the attention over King's heavy beats, layering together chordal harmonies of Tony Iommi's famous progression. For the outro, the group employs a gentle quarter-time interpretation of the original's awesome ending.

6. "(Theme From) Chariots of Fire" (Suspicious Activity?)

Anderson's grooving bass line clashes nicely as Iverson brings in the song's inspirational melody. A free-jazz breakdown follows before Iverson resumes the theme over wildness from the rhythm section.

7. Radiohead: "Karma Police" (Exit Music: Songs with Radio Heads)

Soft brush strokes from King lay a delicate setting for the trio's homage to Radiohead. After some loose rhythms under the main melody, the song gets huge when the piano returns with Thom Yorke's "for a minute there…I lost myself" vocal theme. Iverson also handles the original's walking bass line while King plays freeform beats.

8. Rush: "Tom Sawyer" (Prog)

The poster child for radio-friendly prog rock, "Tom Sawyer" gets one of the most "authentic" replications from The Bad Plus. Iverson and Anderson trade off handling Geddy Lee's vocals on their respective instruments, but they can't hold out forever – like clockwork, the tune punches in an improvised break before resuming its course.

9. Burt Bacharach / Hal David: "This Guy's in Love With You" (Prog)

Faith No More also presented a live cover of this chart-topping Herb Alpert song, and though this can't quite compare to one with Mike Patton's emotive vocals, it's just as sensitive as both versions. Randomly, it closes with a quick reprise of the main rhythm from "Physical Cities," an original Bad Plus tune that comes earlier on Prog.

10. Neil Young: "Heart of Gold"

Without a released recording of Neil Young's classic hit, The Bad Plus saves "Heart of Gold" for concertgoers. It often begins with an abstract intro and ends with the three joining together for a harmonized a cappella chorus.

– Scott Morrow

The Bad Plus: www.thebadplus.com
Heads Up International: www.headsup.com

he was making an album that could alienate his normally open-minded listeners. Some might even call it daring.

“Daring?” Herren asks incredulously. “No. Maybe dumb. Suicidal. It’s like jumping off a cliff. You don’t know what to expect. I think Warp [Records] are smart in the way that they’re marketing the record,” he continues, discussing his label’s decision to add the orchestral compositions as a fifteen-track bonus album, entitled Interregnums, that comes with the physical purchase of Preparations. “The beat-heads and the cats who are into Prefuse as Prefuse is can get this shit however they want, but if you really want the other disc, you can buy that too. Because I’m sure that there are lots of people who have absolutely no interest whatsoever in the other disc, and that’s fine.”
Pieced together over the span of a year and completed during time off from tours and various projects, Prefuse 73’s unusual double album breaks new creative ground for the man who almost singlehandedly reinvented instrumental hip hop. Herren took the genre by storm in 2003 with One Word Extinguisher, his sophomore full-length for Warp; the album’s stuttering samples and crackling electronics were unlike much else heard over hip-hop beats.

The last two Prefuse albums—Surrounded by Silence (2005) and Security Screenings (2006)—brought a variety of guest musicians and MCs that resulted in disjointed releases. Now four years since his breakthrough, he is returning to the insular, deeply personal heart of his craft.

“This is the sixth record, so I just wanted to do something other than ‘Prefuse is on his MPC again,’” he says, mentioning the beat-making equipment he has used to craft his idiosyncratic sound. “I left the sounds alone instead of editing, chopping, and sampling so much. I was more into arrangement and form and the construction instead of editing and splicing and deconstruction. It was sort of the opposite way around. I implemented more live playing on the beats instead of sampling. That’s why it gets really dense with live playing and live sounds. I just wanted to take that direction, because I never have before. I’ve always put a restriction on my level of live playing. But this time I went crazy and did it all.”
Doing it all included playing cello, piano, flutes, clarinets, and percussion for Interregnums, the orchestral material that laid the foundation for much of Preparations.

“Making the beat part—the actual beat side—was very natural, and it was exactly what I wanted as I was making it,” he says of Preparations. “The hard part came with side two. That was more of a challenge, like, ‘How am I going to do this without it being incredibly corny or over-the-top stupid?’ I didn’t want to hire other people to do it either. That was the hard part, doing things that I’m inexperienced in doing. That’s what made it fun and interesting for me.”

“It opened my mind up to a lot of stuff,” he admits. “I was listening to a lot of modern classical…a lot of movie soundtracks, just sitting there listening to how they were placed in movies. And then I went back and watched old movies to see how they were placed in those movies. I sort of went along with those guidelines. I wasn’t really following anything other than listening to too much [Ennio] Morricone or Italian soundtracks, just doing minimal versions of what I was hearing…just to see if I could pull it off.”

Put together, the two albums seem incompatible yet are made complementary by a similar textural depth and meditative spirit. They’re both layered with nuance and detail, they both are emotionally rich despite rarely mandating a mood, and they’re both meticulously arranged. Herren is creating an umbrella under which two kinds of listeners are bound to rub up against each other. Still, he doesn’t see himself as uniting the two traditions.

“I don’t really see them related in much of a way,” he explains. “Modern composers want to do things with electronic musicians, but I’m not involved in that scene so much. I just do my thing as I do it. You have people like Ryuichi Sakamoto, and he’ll work with someone like Alva Noto and do something electronic when you know he can write the most straightforward classical compositions. But he’ll go with someone like that and let them crush it to pieces. That’s another world than the one I exist in. I listen to it and appreciate it, but I don’t think with hip hop, particularly, there are any connections whatsoever. This is a very odd record in itself, and for them to go together is just what spilled out of my mind.”

The remaining question is whether Prefuse 73’s devoted fan base will prove resilient enough to embrace both Preparations and Interregnums. “In an ideal situation, each CD could be appreciated by the people that listen to that type of music,” Herren suggests. “I don’t really have expectations for anything that I release, because you never know how people are going to receive it. One thing one person says can set off a whole army of people. If one person says it’s bad, then a person who never listened to it might think it’s bad. That happens all the time,” he says solemnly. “That’s why I had to make a record like this blindly. I just have to keep going.”