I had a blog in 7th grade where I would post once every three months and begin every post apologetically with “Wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve written anything, but guys, I PROMISE to post more… blah blah…” It went on like this for probably a year and half until I realized the only people that read my blog were me, my friend Olivia, and the incidental man from Romania, and then I just quit entirely. So as I reincorporate myself into the realm of internet writing, whatever my demographic is now, I am sorry for taking so long, and I PROMISE to post more…
What awakens me from my slumber is Death Grips, and their instrumental compilation: Interview 2016. My immediate thought would be to liken it to their other solely instrumental album Fashion Week, however, unlike those tracks which felt like discarded beat fragments, the works on Interview 2016 feel as though they were created with the intention of remaining instrumental only. However, defining the intention of any Death Grips project is enigmatic, for they act as both artists and iconoclasts, and between every traditional mirror they fashion towards the audience is a hammer that immediately smashes it. In fact, what Death Grips is brilliant at producing is enigma (just see what happens when you try to click on their official website homepage). The work’s release, as an overdub to an interview with Matthew Hoffman, poses the idea that all Death Grips wants us to know about them is their music, and the rest is intentionally left for us to question with avarice.
What is missing from this collection is MC Ride’s commanding barks: Death Grips‘ defining voice. His omission only increases the anticipation with which we wait for their upcoming release, Bottomless Pit. Instead of feeling disappointed though, these tracks are satiating in their irreverence, as with any of their releases this one is handed over with a sly wink that the best is yet to come.
The best way to experience these sounds is to watch them alongside the grimy interview footage streaming below; hold for silence at the close.
