Alt-J Drop New Genre-Bending Album ‘Reduxer’
British-based indie rock band Alt-J have developed their most experimental album yet. Growing out of the foundations of Relaxer has come a cacophony of remixes entitled ‘Reduxer’. Alt-J have essentially copy and pasted their previous album into an open-domain space which has created a playground for electronic artists, rappers, and many other creatives to collaborate and twist the songs into new alternative versions.
An icon of the original album ‘Relaxer’ was the hard-hitting beats of ‘In Cold Blood’. With its instantly intense, engulfing sound, I remember listening to it for the first time and feeling as though I was being consumed by the monumental track. Now listening to the same song on the new album ‘Reduxer’ I feel as though I have fallen into an alternative reality with this genre-bending electro-hiphop strain of musical DNA. The album from beginning till end blends harsh, hard tones and drum beats with ambient acoustics underneath to create the perfect platform for rappers to express in a free-flowing environment. The mind almost forms a sense of visuality while listening to the soft flows and hard stops of each and every track, like a sound track to a bolt of lighting being shown on a technicolor VHS tape. Often when an album has an underlying layer of subtle static it warms the lister’s hearts leaving them feel fuzzy and nostalgic yet the static in ‘Reduxer’ has left me with my arm hairs standing on end. This album isn’t just a curation of tracks but rather, very much like the album it is based off, it is an experience.
As of writing this, there are two songs available for listening. The first being ‘In Cold Blood’ Feat. Pusha T [Twin Shadow Version], which alone shows the type of powerful collaborations taking place. The other being ‘Deadcrush’ Feat. Danny Brown [Alchemist x Trooko Version]. Alt-J have recently started selling tickets to their tour which is believed to be based on the new alternative album but they have left a lot to the unknown. Many speculate that this tour will be a blend of both ‘Reduxer’ and ‘Relaxer’ but nothing has yet been conformed.
