Cassette Review: x.nte "CLOUD2" (\\NULL|ZØNE//)

$7 //
Edition of 50 //
https://nullzone.bandcamp.com/album/cloud2 //

Thus far, the two cassettes from \\NULL|ZØNE// have been different not just in a way that the artists could be picked out of a crowd of songs (such as a compilation) but also just that they span differ genres.   x.nte has a name which makes me think it will be electronic and the title of this cassette as "CLOUD2" just makes me think that even more.   At its core I would consider this to be electronic but it is also somehow so much more and, well, on top of that it's just a different kind of electronic than I am used to as well.

What you have to think of first when listening to x.nte is hip hop beats.   At the beginning there seems to be some rapping/singing and then there are audio clips but for the most part this is instrumental.  I do appreciate the one part of an audio clip that goes "Hahaha loser!" though.    So overall I wouldn't put too much focus on the idea of lyrics or even audio clips in the sense of trying to pull words out of these songs.   I would stick with focusing on the music itself as it has a quality which needs to be appreciated.

Through loops come keys and other electronics.   I would describe it as "bliss hop" but that might not be the correct subgenre just think of it as more of an upbeat hip hop sound like 2Pac's "Changes".    There are mellow moments but I am hesitant to call this anything having to do with "chill" because it really generates a large amount of controlled chaos.   The fast beats don't have to mean that you can dance to them but they do provide a certain amount of energy so you can have them as your soundtrack to get through the day with like coffee.

The other day I found this sweatshirt I wanted to get.   I asked someone whether or not I should and they said that it looked "busy" and so I shouldn't wear it.   While having clothes which look "busy" might be a fashion no-no, when it comes to music I don't find it to be a turn off as I've enjoyed when I've heard music before that has this same feeling of everything all at once.   It's one of those situations where you might be used to hearing one of these sounds at a time- which makes it easier to write about and digest as a listener- but to have them all layered upon each other can feel overwhelming.

But I don't want you to feel overwhelmed by this in a bad way.   I want you to take it as an opportunity to listen to this cassette over and over again, picking up on different little bits here and there each time.    From personal experience I can tell you that on the second and third listen you will hear things come out that you might not have heard for the first time.   Once it all finally comes together, once you are able to put all of the pieces together, this one just feels so hectic but it can be quite soothing.