fat jon & styrofoam

The Same Channel

With the video for 'Space Gangsta' clocking up views like primetime over on YouTube (included here), the coming together of Fat Jon (Five Deez) and Styrofoam is evidently something to treasure - with 'The Same Channel' their musical union. Having previously hooked up with Pole, Fat Jon's ability to match his rhymes to less conventional beats is clear - something that hardly needed proving given the Five Deez output. Yet rather than treat their hook-up as an opportunity to over-indulge, Styrofoam (aka Arne Van Petegem) and Fat Jon have instead set about massaging their individual musical perspectives into a cohesive entity - kicking the whole kit-and-kaboodle off with 'Acid Rain Robot Repair'. Licked with vocodor and space invader flourishes, the fizzing mesh backdrop is punctuated by Fat Jon's rollercoaster rhymes and Petegem's indie melancholy - with the resulting clatter a fully stocked pantry of hip-hop bluster. Very much erring on the side of Styrofoam for next track 'Bleed', the pairing conjure up as drifting cloud of electronic reflection that recalls some of Mogwai's dalliances in similar territory - albeit with a firm nod towards synth legends where there was once grinding post rock. Elsewhere, 'Runnin' Circles' matches skittering breaks and melancholic xylophone to Fat Jon's melodious vocals to engender a sparkling indie/hip-hop balance, 'Space Gangsta' is a syrup slow pairing of intergalactic efx and helium musings (think Dr. Octagon in laid back mode), whilst album closer 'Upgrade' (Grace Period Mix) is a shoegaze indebted miasma of opaque vocals and ebbing soundscapes.