The last we heard from mysterious down-tempo instrumental hip-hop producer and obsessive crate-digger Dante Carfagna — aka Express Rising — was roughly a decade ago, when, after a few small-batch 7-inch releases, Memphix Records released his debut self-titled full-length. Built primarily on pieces of obscure soul and R&B records, the record vanished as quickly as it appeared and almost immediately became a cult object sought after by record-obsessed music mavens. Carfagna’s new Express Rising album, also self-titled, sheds much of the hip-hop and soul influence, as well as the dust pops, of its predecessor, moving in a far more conventionally electronic direction. But while his previous effort was marked by depth and maturity, the new album, built on a foundation of MIDI strings, live electric guitar and tinny FL Studio-quality sampled percussion, feels flimsy and outdated.
Sign up. We hope you like us, but if you don't, you can unsubscribe by following the links in the email, or by dropping us a note at leo@leoweekly.com.
Signup
By clicking “subscribe” above, you consent to allow us to contact you via email, and store your information using our third-party Service Provider. To see more information about how your information is stored and privacy protected, visit our policies page.
Subscribe to LEO Weekly Newsletters
Sign up. We hope you like us, but if you don't, you can unsubscribe by following the links in the email, or by dropping us a note at leo@leoweekly.com.
To sign up now, enter your email address in the field below and click the Subscribe button.
By clicking “Subscribe” above, you consent to allow us to contact you via email, and store your information using our third-party Service Provider. To see more information about how your information is stored and privacy protected, visit our policies page.
