Late last year, Abraham Orellana (a.k.a. AraabMuzik) released two EPs: one covering the hip-hop-influenced beat music he's become associated with (Goon Loops), and the other featuring more EDM-inspired material (King). It was speculated that this would signal Orellana's move into clubbier sounds, something he's hinted at in recent interviews; he quipped to MTV that "That's where the money is."
But when you're a musician as exceptionally creative as AraabMuzik, you don't shift the make-up of your sound without bringing a heck of a lot of yourself with it. On his second full-length (following a slew of mixtapes and EPs), Orellana pulls together a gorgeously crafted, sonically sound mix of genres, further demonstrating his proficiency and ingenuity with an Akai MPC. Rather than intermingling an unfocused mishmash of sounds into each songs, AraabMuzik applies specific moods for Dream World's 16 tracks, moving from low-end hip-hop bangers ("50 Box of Swishers"), to club-ready electronic breakdowns ("Take Me Higher"), ambient soundscapes ("Mind Trip"), worldly rhythms ("War Cry") and sleek R&B ("Chasing Pirates").
The fact that AraabMuzik isn't afraid to collaborate with up-and-comers (working on songs with Riot Ten, WattzBeatz, Dvnk Sinatrv) and bring in guest vocalists (Mikey Ceaser, Baauer, Raiche) gives Dream World a diverse mixtape feel that stems from and reflects the mind of a truly singular force.
(Empire Distribution)But when you're a musician as exceptionally creative as AraabMuzik, you don't shift the make-up of your sound without bringing a heck of a lot of yourself with it. On his second full-length (following a slew of mixtapes and EPs), Orellana pulls together a gorgeously crafted, sonically sound mix of genres, further demonstrating his proficiency and ingenuity with an Akai MPC. Rather than intermingling an unfocused mishmash of sounds into each songs, AraabMuzik applies specific moods for Dream World's 16 tracks, moving from low-end hip-hop bangers ("50 Box of Swishers"), to club-ready electronic breakdowns ("Take Me Higher"), ambient soundscapes ("Mind Trip"), worldly rhythms ("War Cry") and sleek R&B ("Chasing Pirates").
The fact that AraabMuzik isn't afraid to collaborate with up-and-comers (working on songs with Riot Ten, WattzBeatz, Dvnk Sinatrv) and bring in guest vocalists (Mikey Ceaser, Baauer, Raiche) gives Dream World a diverse mixtape feel that stems from and reflects the mind of a truly singular force.