Hoodie & James K // 065 Scorpio
(AD93)

Naemi (Exael) and Shy (Special Guest DJ) bring their 3XL-nu-metal finesse to James K’s celestial vocal and to no-one’s surprise it’s incredible.

Out of the tangled web of projects, aliases and experimental sonics orbiting the 3XL label, Hoodie features Special Guest DJ and Exael breaking away from slippery beats and unfathomable ambience and indulging in a slightly more direct strain of music-making. On their previous digi-only drops for Experiences Ltd, they pointedly drew on the sound of Deftones and a tangible turn of the millennium mood to create a shimmering update on atmospheric nu-metal. 

Now Hoodie reconvenes for a collaboration with James K, whose striking solo productions are often embellished with her heavenly vocals. On ‘Scorpio’, Hoodie temper down the metal power chords and opt for shoegaze washes of guitar shrouded in reverb, a steady-rolling breakbeat and a punchy soundsystem b-line which comes on like Smith & Mighty jamming with Lush. It’s the perfect vehicle for K’s voice, creating a frankly heartbreaking eight-minute opus which doesn’t feel a second too long. It’s a track you could bathe in for days. 

‘Ether’ drops the solid structure and casts off into oceanic ambience, K becoming a wraithlike figure gliding between the chasmic drones. It’s very much in line with the wider 3XL sound, where beatless music tends to be injected with a fierce energy so matter how huge the reverb tails are. 

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