Hazy experimental hip-hop and ambient electronic production stir on and in my mind, i’m everyone CLOUD, the seven-track EP from South Carolina artist and producer Xeno Ray JNB. A departure in focus from his previously featured album Mono Modern, the release places greater weight on personal experiences, with songs addressing identity, isolation, grief, faith, and the challenges of connecting with others. Created independently on a laptop, the project reflects Xeno Ray JNB’s continued exploration of how electronic production and hip-hop can intersect.
“(please stop) noise machine” opens the EP with steadily unfolding intrigue, as blaring synths move seamlessly into emerging vocal elements. The first, a submerged sample-like presence, precedes a stream-of-conscious hip-hop delivery, melding artfully with whirring and woozy synth tones. “Contrast Our Sky” follows, embracing a more rhythmic presence as hazy vocals unveil with ghostly, sporadic charm, reminding of Shabazz Palaces’ atmospherics. “IN THE AIR” is in a similarly inventive hip-hop vein, with visceral lyricism (“my eyes get…”) and an intense hip-hop flow blending with vague shimmers of electronics.
An epic spanning nearly 15 minutes, “Oh Virginia! Bless U Virginia!” captivates in its heartfelt introspection and evolving textures. “Talk to your dad, have a conversation,” the spoken-word delivery pushes out, ruminating on societal/parental expectations, masculinity, and a constant sense of motion. The release’s lyricism consistently enthralls in its vulnerable, poetic states and accompanying electronic soundscapes, lulling in their nocturnal tonal nature yet also melodically immersive. and in my mind, i’m everyone CLOUD is a compelling, inventive work from Xeno Ray JNB.
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We discovered this release via MusoSoup.
