Mophono: Cut Form Crush

Benji Illgen has played an integral role in the West Coast’s abstract beat movement for half a decade. From his stints DJing at the notorious Future Primitive parties and running his own weekly “Change the Beat” showcase in San Francisco to appearances on Flying Lotus’s esteemed Brainfeeder sessions and a cameo on The Gaslamp Killer’s 2010 Death Gate EP, the man otherwise known as Mophono has certainly established himself as a big time player on the scene. A reputation that becomes firmly cemented with the release of his full-length debut Cut Form Crush. Fans of such geometrically-minded California beat-smiths as Kutmah, Samiyam and Matthewdavid will immediately gravitate towards this kinetic 15-track set. Honed from nearly 15 years of crate-digging and experimenting with samples, it delivers a hard hitting, complex menagerie of old school boom bap, musical concrete, free jazz adventurism and Schiflin-esque soundtrack arrangements that puts Illgen’s own unique stamp on the art.