For a few years now, the New York-based artist Gabe 'Nandez has been making intense, thoughful underground rap music. 'Nandez is a prolific force with an fascinating sense of perspective, as he grew up around the world as the son of a UN Peacekeeper. Just this year, 'Nandez teamed up with Louis Jack to form a duo called LJGN and to release a self-titled album. Today, 'Nandez releases his highest-profile project to date, a full-length team up with the great producer Preservation. It's an ideal pairing, and both rapper and producer step the fuck up on the new LP Sortilège. It's one of the best full-lengths that I've heard this summer, in any genre.
Three years ago, billy woods and Preservation released the amazing collaborative album Aethiopes, which might just be a masterpiece. Gabe 'Nandez and Boldy James both appeared on the album track "Sauvage," and that collaboration led to this album. It makes so much sense. Gabe 'Nandez's heavy, philosophical presence and gravitas recall the late Brooklyn great Ka, one of Preservation's greatest collaborators. (Ka and Preservation released their own great collaborative album Days With Dr. Yen Lo a decade ago.)
Sortilège is named for the French term for Spell, and its jazzy, ruminative mood is a thing of beauty. The album is coming out on billy woods' label Backwoodz Studioz, and woods makes two guest appearances. His Armand Hammer partner Elucid also appears, as do Benjamin Booker and Koncept Jack$on. But don't listen to this album for the features. Listen because it's a sublime combination of visions, a great example of two artists pushing each other to greater heights. We already posted lead single "Ball & Chain," and now you can stream the full album below.
Sortilège is out now on Backwoodz Studioz.
