12 years after his stellar Two/Three release, Dabrye aka Tadd Mullinix follows up strong with the final and third volume!
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When Ann Arbor's Tadd Mullinix began exploring hip-hop under the name Dabrye 20 years ago, he soon honed in on a startling vision of what the genre could be: ingenious, refined, daring. This vision came to life across two albums for Ghostly International — 2001's One/Three and its 2006 follow-up Two/Three — with each record further positioning the quiet Michigan producer as one of his generation's best, equally comfortable creating minimalist instrumental meditations or sharp rap salvos. In the late 2000s, following critical acclaim and accolades from both peers and inspirations (including the late Jay Dee with whom Mullinix collaborated before his untimely passing), Mullinix put the Dabrye moniker on ice and dedicated himself to other genres and ideas. All the while the influence of his work on a new generation of electronic musicians continued to make itself felt in subtle but meaningful ways.
All this changes in 2018 as Dabrye makes his long-awaited return with Three/Three, a razor-sharp rap album that brings to completion a prophetic trilogy. Mullinix's incisive productions provide the backdrop for equally acute rhymes that run the gamut from intergenerational observations and being your best self to back alley deals and having fun in the ride. Guests include indie rap legend DOOM, whose previous collaboration with Dabrye remains a point of reference for many, Wu Tang storyteller Ghostface Killah, L.A word fanatic Jonwayne, and Long Island's rugged surrealist Roc Marciano. Most importantly Three/Three is, much like its predecessor, an unfettered celebration of Detroit-area talent with Guilty Simpson, Phat Kat, Kadence, Quelle Chris, Danny Brown, Shigeto, Clear Soul Forces and more all lending their touch to Dabrye's return.
The blend of American and British dance music, hip-hop sampling, and Jamaican sound clash energy that underpinned Two/Three remains a quiet, guiding principle. At the same time Mullinix rejoices in a refreshed perspective, having had time to incubate ideas and find clarity in the distance between albums and the evolution of scenes. The beats are looser and less angular, more embracing of repetition. Organic techniques inspired by soul and jazz round off some of the harsher sonics.
Three/Three marks the return of an innovator after close to a decade of silence. Despite what the title might imply, the album isn't the end of the story but rather the completion of a creative arc. Expect more Dabrye in the near future. The game is far from over.
Tracklist
01. Tunnel Vision feat. Guilty Simpson
02. Emancipated feat. Ghostface Killah
03. Tape Flip Too
04. Lil Mufukuz feat. Doom
05. Fightscene feat. La Peace
06. Electrocutor
07. Stranded feat. Fatt Father
08. The Appetite feat. Roc Marciano, Quelle Chris & Danny Brown
09. Pretty feat. Jon Wayne
10. Sunset feat. Shigeto
11. Nova feat. Nolan The Ninja
12. Bubble Up feat. Phat Kat AKA Ronnie Euro
13. Vert-Horiz
14. Dr. Shroomen feat. G&D
15. Sisfo Ridin' feat. Clear Soul Forces
16. Culture Shuffle feat. Kadence, Intricate Dialect & Silas Green
17. Honey
18. First Law Of Nature Rock Day feat. Denmark Vessey
19. Tahn Ice Rhythm
Also Represses of One/Three, Two/Three and Instrmntl
Dabrye - one/Three
2018 repress - great EP with serious headnodd technoid hiphop biz. Comes with tracks like 'So scientific', 'Hyped-up plus trax' and three more!
Dabrye - TWO/Three
2018 repress - The follow up to One/Three.
James T Cotton / Tadd Mullinx teams up with a wide range of MC's (Wildchild, MF Doom, Kadence, Vast Aire, AG, Beans, Invincible. Ta'Raach, Big tone, Phat Kat..) and producers (Waajeed, Jay Dee) to support his hi-tech productions. The result in this killer album with a wide variety of productions; from deep headnoddin' cuts to crazy offbeat work and deep Kraftwerk inspired instrumentals. Where hiphop meets techno..
Dabrye - Instrmntl
Made possible after a beat tape swap between Prefuse 73 and Dabrye after the pair shared the stage in Detroit, Instrmntl is a continuation of the beat experiments Tadd Mullinix began with One/Three and a bridge to the diverse textures that would define Two/Three four years later. Instrmntl offers a snapshot of a time when potentials seemed infinite, when lines could be drawn between jazz, ragga jungle, techno, and hip-hop and the resulting shape divined an exciting future.