Review: Berlin-based duo Above The Clouds, the new project of Kidkanevil and Magic Manfred, open their account with a reworked instrumental of MF DOOM's 'Arrow Root', nodding to their shared roots in 90s hip-hop. Having first crossed paths in a Kreuzberg studio, the two bonded over boom bap and basslines, leading to sessions where jazz chops met crisp drum programming. A longtime MF Doom fan, Kidkanevil brings his detailed, samply ill-formatic production style, honed over years split between beat tapes and bleeps, while Manfred - raised in Berlin and shaped by funk, soul and a stint in London's jazz scene - draws harmonic threads across keys and bass. The track also ropes in saxophonist Mario, who laid her parts in one studio take. B-sider 'Tram Delay Beat' hints at more to come.
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