Every music enthusiast knows how eloquent Roots drummer and cultural figure Questlove speaks about the sampling techniques of immortal producer J Dilla and how it influenced the way he interprets drums. The connection between producers and musicians has always been very close but rarely are they on equal footing with each other on a project. Kill Your Darlings brings together this exact concept. Dutch producer Kid Sublime samples and flips records which are then interpreted by Amsterdam-based band of the moment RADIOHOP.
Operating within the same local scene, it didn’t take long for RADIOHOP and Kid Sublime to cross paths. Hot off the press that is the conservatory Amsterdam, the former set out the dominate the underground jazz scene in Amsterdam, playing and producing together, sitting in with other bands and frequent visitors of club nights and concerts. The latter has been cheffing up records on a consistent basis for over a decade. Meeting each other at those concerts, they were quick to turn towards the studio to align thoughts: too many good phrases, pockets and progressions.
Kid Sublime sampled beats in his signature style, which RADIOHOP then would interpret. The result is the KILL YOUR DARLINGS album. As implied, there were way more records and recording sessions, but the key to a good album is extracting the key ideas on a micro level (individual instruments), meso level (the arrangement) and macro level (track selection and order).
KILL YOUR DARLINGS is a carefully crafted record where different artists try to see eye to eye with each other’s creative conceptions. From the boom bap beats to their lo-fi hip hop-esque interpretations, the release highlights both Kid Sublime as well as RADIOHOP their strong notes.
Flip the record over and see how the new generation of jazz cats interpret the sampled songs. RADIOHOP return to their beginnings by playing hip hop grooves, this time laid out by Kid Sublime. Yet in the three years of their existence, the band has made immense progression and changes to their style. Neo-Fusion is a staple element to the band’s sound and the last two songs Perugia and Acid Butterfly shows the band flex their contemporary dexterity.
KILL YOUR DARLINGS is a project that probably a bag full of producers and bands dream of doing, yet we still do not see enough of. Luckily for Kid Sublime and RADIOHOP, they managed to succeed in conceptualising this format.
