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MH-225 The Opus - Breathing Lessons  After locking themselves in their Chicago studio with a mountain of dusty vinyl and two lifetimes worth of musical inspiration, the Opus have finally emerged to deliver Breathing Lessons a mesmerizing collection of reflective, instrumental hip-hop. Using their signature palette of chopped percussion and intricate drum programming as base materials, they expand their compositions, adding layers of strings, detuned piano, analog synths, floor rumbling bass, and reverb to haunting effect. Although the all-too-brief vocal appearance of Lord 360 reminds listeners of their productions for MCs on Rubberoom’s Architechnology and their own 2002 debut First Contact, this release is clearly intent on establishing the Opus as a production duo capable of creating music that stands on its own. |
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| Reviews Summary |
| One of the underground's finest beatmaking tandems - Urb / A fine example of instrumental hip-hop - Exclaim! / Call it good mood music for bad moods - Entertainment Weekly / Quality stuff for the introspective heads, and recommended - Undercover / Nocturnally restful and hauntingly evocative - Igloo |
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| The Opus is a new act for me. They have been around for a few years now, producing and making their own brand of instrumental hip-hop. Breathing Lessons, their second full-length, is an opus in itself. The music is dark and leaning towards what could be more of a downtempo side of things rather than a hip-hop sound. The Opus is basically a duo, Mr. Echoes and the Isle of Weight. They have made more of a name for themselves working with such people as Aesop Rock and Atmosphere. Breathing Lessons is a testament to what a few beats and samples can lead to. The music is dark in the same way that Dj Vadim makes his music. It could be their non-standard drum programming that makes the Opus stand out amongst their luminaries. There are two kinds of music fans that will enjoy the Opus, the Dj Shadow style fans because this is pretty comparable to what Josh has done, and indie hip-hop fans because these beats are some of the best that have ever happened. It's a great listen and an inventive album. - Music Emissions |
2XLP/Out Of Print