Villain Accelerate

The teaming-up of Sixtoo and Stigg of the Dump took place a couple of years ago as Buck 65 joined the mix and the Sebutones rocked mics with Stigg on his Still Alive at the Veglia Lounge EP. The results aren’t quite the same this time around though as Villain Accelerate are riding a much more calm and relaxed vibe, as Sixtoo and Stigg take you on a peaceful instrumental journey. Using quiet drum sequences and a lot of piano and live instrumentation, Maid of Gold is a very low-key affair and sometimes fails to grab your attention as it can be easy to nod off and let yourself become distracted as the beats could be drowned out by a whisper. There are some very beautiful moments on this collaboration though and you do get equal parts of the producers who manage to create something that isn’t quite what each would spawn as individuals. Arising from the bedtime beats are standout cuts like "Postcards,” which seems to have its way with those annoying police sirens as the pair stretch out the squad car’s blare over some lush Rhodes. "Revisit” explores some more electronic-based beats and pulses and "Hard Whispers” delivers a solid kick drum and introduces it to P-Love’s subtle turntable manipulations. Maid of Gold is a very beautiful instrumental hip-hop album, but sadly there’s not very many moments that make you sit up and pay attention to what Sixtoo and Stigg of the Dump are trying to cram in your ears. This is definitely not the record you want to throw on when friends are over, unless it’s a slumber party. Save this joint for when you want to kick back and relax and turn off your mind for an hour.