Music Critic Ben Forsdick reviews Komfort Food, a tribute album to late rapper J Dilla, which is an enjoyable and creative record
The art of promoting a new record is almost as fundamental to an album’s success as the making of the music in the first place. The way an artist approaches this all too often neglected artform varies. Some fun past record promotions include Death Grips unexpectedly tweeting that ‘Death Grips is Online’ as promotion for their Year of the Snitch album, or punk band Creeper staging their own disappearance while anticipating their debut record. There is a skill to this abstract level of promotion, but few records have been promoted as skilfully (and hilariously) as Komfort Food.
Discontent with only a few allusions to donuts, the trio proceeded to fictionally open three donut stores across America, with these stores distributing donuts in the form of Komfort Food
Musicians BoomBaptist, Elaquent and Juicy the Emissary were, like many creatives, placed in a difficult position upon the introduction of lockdowns and various other pandemic related disruptions. During this time, the trio started work on a project. Komfort Food is designed to be a tribute to the legendary instrumental hip-hop producer J Dilla, in particular, his seminal record Donuts. The idea was to rework the various samples and sounds of J Dilla in order to create a new record. In continuing the donut theme, the band placed one on the album cover. Discontent with only a few allusions to donuts, the trio proceeded to fictionally open three donut stores across America, with these stores distributing donuts in the form of Komfort Food. The very act of opening these fictional establishments embodied the idea of innovation during a pandemic. Of course, while the opening of these stores was fictional, the innovation and creativity behind the concept of this record is very real. Minimal digging online will produce fictional press conferences and openings for these stores. Furthermore, the pressings of this record are visually wonderful, with each disc made to look like a donut that may be extracted from a donut packet sleeve. So, the promotion and packaging for this collaborative tribute is one of the most creative I have seen in years. The icing on the proverbial donut is that Komfort Food also just happens to be a seriously solid instrumental hip hop album.
The three producers work independently of each other, with separate tracks attributed to individual producers. With this in mind, the tracklist flows remarkably well, with only the occasional transition feeling slightly off-kilter. Those familiar with the Dilla record Donuts will be familiar with the infinitude of that record’s flow. Komfort Food may not possess this level of seamlessness, but the continuity from track to track that this record achieves if admirable at the very least. The other immediate difference between this record and Donuts is its length. Komfort Food stands at 27 minutes and 10 tracks, far shorter than Donuts’ 43 minutes and 31 tracks. Resultantly, the slightest misstep on a record this short could be of significant detriment. But this record makes very few. For the most part, this is a straightforward, well-constructed and touching tribute to one of the best to ever do it.
BoomBaptist kicks this record off with the title track, introducing us to a palette of soulful funk samples that occupy a great deal of this record. It is slick, well-performed and the smoothness of the synths almost sound like the aesthetics that Kevin Parker used on Tame Impala’s Currents. The beat is spacious, but everything sounds full and large. Indeed, nothing is too complex on this album. With only 27 minutes to play with, the trio do not waste time with unnecessary bells and whistles. These tracks are to the point. Any amateur producers will hear many of the mixing techniques that the trio use. There are high pass filters all over this record, but nothing feels like a cliché. All three producers have committed to a record that employs standard mixing tools in order to make something that is sonically excellent. This philosophy comes through on ‘Toucan Wing,’ a direct play on the Dilla track ‘Two Can Win.’ This is not a wild composition, not a ‘Workinonit’ or ‘Lightworks,’ but everything fits. The placement of each sample, each snare hit, and each synth lead is meticulous and tastefully put together.
Further direct J Dilla association comes with the track ‘Dilla-Quent,’ a track mostly driven by its gigantic kick and snare. The closest I can get to describing this beat would be if Q-Tip were to produce a John Bonham drum part. The track contains samples that are heard in previous tracks, which gives continuity to this album. So, while the idea of infinitude is not present on this record, there is a clear sense of thematic repetition and recurrence. Indeed, many beats follow one another’s lead in their casual delivery. It is an easy record to enjoy in this sense, with listening to the record being a pleasingly lazy experience. The track ‘Gobstopper’ exemplifies this, as does the tripping beat on ‘The Official.’ The construction of this cut begins with a trumpet fanfare before the beat is slowed down considerably, with vocal snippets now taking over the core of the track. The mix is built around these smooth sax leads and piecing bass riffs, all coming together into a deliciously layered mix.
The mix is littered with string parts and bass slides, all scattered artfully across the beat, functioning like a late-night jazz group
The instrumentals on Komfort Food are pleasingly colourful. There are even moments where the record takes on more of an orchestral aesthetic, like on the track ‘McNasty in Brazil.’ The mix is littered with string parts and bass slides, all scattered artfully across the beat, functioning like a late-night jazz group. A similar style is heard on the track ‘Stakes as High.’ The song is just two minutes long, but it is such an odyssey of funk and soul, it feels like so much more. Then there is the use vocal snippets that feature sporadically on the record. Nonetheless their inclusion is always thoughtfully mixed within the track. ‘Yumy/Muny’ is one of this record’s catchiest moments and the vocals samples are a significant reason for this.
There are occasional lulls on this record. The latter stages of the aforementioned ‘Yumy/Muny’ drag just a touch and the chopped-up beat on closer ‘Far to Go/Light’ is a touch messier than I would have liked. Then there is the brevity of this record; less 30 minutes in length. Furthermore, it is a slightly strange release, more a tribute than anything else. However, none of these factors detract from this being a thoroughly enjoyable and creative record. The three producers create so much with so little, with no flashy or ostentatious synths and samples, just good mixing. It is hard to imagine fans of J Dilla, DJ Shadow or MF DOOM not enjoying this record. It may not be the most innovative musically, but the creativity is still there in every single track. The promotion was nothing short of genius, the packaging is gorgeous, and the album is not half bad either.
Rating: 8/10
Komfort Food is available now via BoomBaptist
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