CLAN DESTINED
'ABBRACADAMN!!!' 8/10

"Who's this? The artwork looks like some hardcore / old school rave vibe going on" I thought as I stumbled across a friend invite on myspace from Atlanta based 'Clan Destined'.

I believe common ground was struck over our mutual admiration for the now sadly departed production genius J Dilla. This shared appreciation ended up being fundamental to my warm reception of their LP 'Abbracadamn!!!'

Now happy hardcore isn't the sort of music you expect to get sent over the pond from the states and, thankfully, this wasn't. The handful of tunes that I could access while I awaited the full LP established expectations of something somewhere in between A Tribe Called Quest's 'Beats Rhymes and Life', Pharcyde's 'Labcabincalifornia', and Outkast's flirtations with drum n bass and other slightly more abstract rhythms and sounds more commonly associated with artists operating outside of the confines of the genre centric scene over in America.

To an extent, 'Abbracadamn!!!' meets these expectations. Whilst perhaps not quite consistent enough to be equal to greats such as ATCQ and Pharcyde just yet; when Clan Destined get it right they really get it right. OK, so not all tracks carry quite the heavy weight vibe of juicy joints 'Read The Signs' and 'The Language', but the overall standard is high.

'Plan B' seems the stand out track to UK listeners who have grown accustomed to a touch of D&B influence, due to its depth of influence and tight production; whilst if you are a little more susceptible to the smoother end of the hip-hop spectrum than I (a self-confessed 'R&B' hater), you will probably even appreciate the songs that don't quite reach to me in the same way as the sicker beats. But even the slowest tracks call out to the red eyed skunk moster in you to blaze one up and chill.

Definately worth checking out, and keep your eyes an ears peeled for a possible UK tour sometime in the near future.

BEATAMAX