Search - Nobody (Hip-Hop) :: & Everything Else

Nobody "Else"

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 05/17/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Nobody does electronic hip-hop like Nobody.



Okay, seriously, jokes done. The DJ/producer -- also known as Elvin Estrella -- rose from the underground hip-hop revolution of the 1990s, only to become its chameleon. What came next was a stream of soulful jazz/funk/hip-hop, and sunny electronica. And in his third album, Nobody proves that he is just as good as ever.



"And Everything Else" lives up to its name. In his third album, Nobody seems to be exploring the musical niches he had previously left untouched, such as alt-folk, Latin music and psychedelic rock. But he also pays homage to his hip-hop roots, for fans of his previous sounds.



The resulting album is a complete mishmash of styles -- Hispanic rap, bass-heavy big-beats in the style of the Propellerheads, sunny psychedelica, music-box electronica, and even a sad, sweet acoustic solo at the end. Yes, none of the styles entirely fit together, but the catchy beats and odd electronic touches keep them linked.



Nobody's new musical bents are also shown in who he collaborates with. Sure, he collaborates with Prefuse 73 in the proggy-folky "Tori Oshi." But he also joins up with alt-folk chanteuse Mia Doi Todd, who sings sweetly over electronic swooshes and outdoorsy noises. He remixed some of her songs from "Golden State," but this is their first true collaboration.



But perhaps the peak of the album is "What is the Light," a cover of one of the Flaming Lips' best songs. Nobody gives it his own spin, with the same uplifting choruses and orchestral catchiness, but he gives it heavy beats, smooth-as-satin vocals and some stately music-box organ.



"And Everything Else" is good. It's fun. It's dancey, complex, gritty and exuberant one minute, then mellow and sweet. DJ Nobody proves that he can switch musical moods in an instant, being smoky and wry one second, then turning out a trippy outdoorsy song or a folky hoedown. Somebody push this guy into the limelight -- someone so versatile deserves it.



And Nobody knows how to go forward without losing the ability to step back. In "And Everything Else," he revisits some of those old underground roots, with the moments of grit and bombastic rapping, including a wonderfully ominous rap by his old pal Xololanxinco. But he also builds on his second album's sparkling electronica, making it all smoother, brighter and trippier.



DJ Nobody scores again with "And Everything Else," his third collection of electronica and hip-hop. Not a beat is out of place, not a note or sample gone wrong. Outstanding work."