XL Middleton & Delmar Xavier VII, by XL Middleton & Delmar Xavier VII

XL Middleton & Delmar Xavier VII

by XL Middleton & Delmar Xavier VII

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Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of XL Middleton & Delmar Xavier VII, Where You Get Your Funk From?, Interpretations Remixes, Street Level Edits Vol. 1, Do It Again, Rose Bowl Motel, Blue Man Down, Daily Thing, and 34 more. , and , .

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1.	タイロン橋本 (Interlude) 01:06	buy track
2.	Lament For The Angels 03:25	buy track
3.	Player Piano 02:34	buy track
4.	626 Since It Was 818 (feat. Blkwest & Moniquea) 03:08	buy track
5.	L.A. Noir 02:47	buy track
6.	Gardener (feat. Dialtone) 03:12	buy track
7.	Only Luv (Interlude) 01:11	buy track
8.	Strange Dance (feat. Young Sau) 02:58	buy track
9.	Fire (Storm) 03:09	buy track
10.	Perfect Time To Come Over 03:11	buy track
11.	L.A. Holiday (feat. K-Dee & Zackey Force Funk) 03:08	buy track
12.	Too Late 02:48	buy track

about

Taking a sharp detour from synthesizer-heavy, uptempo modern funk tracks, XL Middleton teams up with mysterious producer Delmar Xavier VII to rap over a deftly curated selection of samples on their self-titled duo debut. DXVII's lush sample choices provide the perfect backdrop for what amounts to a collection of vignettes in which XL details LA life in the corona era. He bounces from reflections on social unrest in the city to an all around history of civic corruption on "Lament For The Angels," then takes a more nostalgic approach as he reminisces on growing up in Pasadena on "626 Since It Was 818", his native corner of the LA area, alongside hometown cohorts Blkwest & Moniquea. "L.A. Noir" feels like the Cliff Notes version of the book City Of Quartz in rap form, while "Strange Dance" (feat. Young Sau) examines the mindset of those who were determined to stay outside even as covid was peaking. The hypnotic "Fire (Storm)" was written when California was in the throes of some of the worst wildfires in its history, a somber, smoke-permeated acceptance of a new normal.

Sequenced in the same order the songs were written and recorded, the album starts to take a more hopeful turn on "Perfect Time To Come Over," a spaced-out anthem for reconnecting with a love interest. 90's west coast rap legend K-Dee glides with XL & Zackey Force Funk on "L.A. Holiday," the only song on the album co-produced by XL himself, featuring his signature analog bounce over Delmar's chopped loops and breaks. The album's finale, "Too Late," betrays its own title and ends the project on an optimistic note.

Making the production more interesting is the fact that all of DXVII's samples for the project were sourced from Japanese city pop records of the 70's & 80's. It could be considered even more of a feat that this album stands as a definitive snapshot of LA life over the past 365 days considering that the music comes from the other side of the planet.

credits

released April 2, 2021

Produced by Delmar Xavier VII, except for "L.A. Holiday" produced by XL Middleton & Delmar Xavier VII.
Bass on "L.A. Holiday" by Josh Solomon.
Mastered by Ivan Makvel.

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MoFunk Records Los Angeles, California

Label from Los Angeles serving up modern funk music and more. A note on shipping: Sometimes the way Bandcamp calculates international shipping costs for multiple items may cause you to get charged a little extra. If this is the case, we will refund you at the same time we give you your tracking number. Please email us if you have any concerns. ... more