Atlanta beatsmith Dr. Conspiracy is best known for crafting mind-altering soundscapes for local psych-hop heroes the Difference Machine, but the producer has long been a creative force in the city, exploring the outer regions of experimental hip-hop with projects like King Robot and the much-missed Lee Harvey Oswald. In mid-November, he dropped a new beat tape, 1MillionBeats10000Hours, a 16-track collection of leftover cuts and/or possible future Difference Machine backdrops that he threatened to remove from Bandcamp within a day or two, but still remains for streaming as of this post (UPDATE: the stream has been taken down). At the time it seemed like a causal release by an artist eager to share new music, but in light of today’s news, it looks more like the work of a man looking to clear the decks for something substantially bigger.
On January 15, Dr. Conspiracy will release a new album, Nuclear Mysticism, on cassette and digital via Psych Army Intergalactic. Pre-orders are available here. It’s his first proper instrumental LP since 2010’s The Medium is the Message and it includes collaborations with DJ Creashun, Spytek, Deejay Midnighto and the Kill Fist, as well as samples from local psych-rockers, Abby Gogo. Some of the tracks are reprises of Difference Machine songs, either present or soon to come, not the least of which is the early album cranium destroyer “Brain,” which we are excited to premiere for you today.
Featuring cuts by DJ Creashun and production assistance from the Kill Fist, the track has been used as a remix to the 2012 “Futuristic Blast” B-side “They Want to Make You Disappear” in some of the Difference Machine’s live shows. It’s not a traditional neck-snapper, and you certainly won’t find any of the minimalist trap leanings that have cemented Atlanta atop the hip-hop universe. Instead, like much of Dr. Conspiracy’s best work, it’s a cut you need to wade into until its many layers roll over and consume you. There are some dark atmospherics at play, especially within the looping guitars and cascading echo of cut-up voice samples, but “Brain” never feels bleak or harrowing. And while the recurring sample of Wu-Tang Clan’s classic “C.R.E.A.M.” helps ground the track in an aura of gritty street familiarity, the defining mission remains to blast the listener deep into the cosmos.
Stream the single below and then make sure to check out the album’s cover art and tracklist after the jump.
Nuclear Mysticism Tracklist:
01. Hello, I Am the Nuclear Mystic
02. Brain (feat. DJ Creashun) – co-produced by The Kill Fist
03. A Divine Interlude
04. Heaven (feat. Deejay Midnighto)
05. When It Comes to Records…
06. I Dominate Break Loops
07. Electricity is Moving All Around You
08. Science’s Third Eye
09. 10,000 Hours, A Million Beats, and a Ton Of Vinyl
10. An Unknown Instrumental (feat. Spytek)
11. Yesterday’s Sample is Today’s Interlude
12. The Devil’s Rapp Music (feat. DJ Creashun)
13. Real Hard Beats
14. Sifting Through Your City Limits
15. Cassette Tape Music Goodbye
More Info
Bandcamp: conspiracy.bandcamp.com