DJ Promo, the Puerto Rican beat architect, and New York’s lyrical sage Avarice have crystallised their sonic synergy into the recently unveiled LP ‘Forgotten Gems’. Born from a prolific past, where beats crafted between 2007 and 2012 lay dormant, DJ Promo unearthed the sonic relics, offering them to Avarice, who expanded what was meant to be a brief EP into a full-bodied album.
The track ‘Pandemia’, a seminal hit from the sonic anthology, is a masterclass in expressive power. It weaves mid-western motifs through the solid rattle of the 808s, laying down a minimalist soundscape that cradles Avarice’s commanding spoken-word delivery.
With each word meticulously cadenced, the verses strike with the impact of spoken truth in the production, which sounds as though it has sprung to life from a vintage tape deck with its intimate hiss. Yet, the urban narrative thrums with a contemporary pulse, ensuring the duo earned their place in the contemporary hip-hop landscape.
As the instrumentals serenade the soul with their understated complexity, Avarice’s narratives coax the doors of perception ajar. Hit play, and let ‘Pandemia’ transport you to where music meets the mind in a quiet revolution of thought.
Head to Spotify to stream Pandemia as part of the collaborative Forgotten Gems LP, which dropped on October 31st.
Review by Amelia Vandergast