If you've ever wondered what a New Orleans ex-patriate living in a Frankenmuth project would do if he got hold of samples and a computer, you're in luck. Torky Tork, an avant-garde/alternative hip-hop artist from Berlin, last passed an album in 2008 with Syria. Although TT appears in the habit of producing sound clip-laden hip-hop beats, his album Black has something to offer the non-beat-shoppers among us.
In the Intro, we hear a significantly more interesting "Revolution 9" more akin to a Bruce Lee episode of Hawaii Five-O set in a German cabaret. TT touted this album as more movie than beat sampler, and we can see that borne out of several tracks on this album. Though I need to mention that the visuals for this movie would, most likely, be too disturbing to release to a wide audience. Really picture a Tristan und Isolde romance playing out during a futuristic, post-apocalyptic Bierfest (or a very Bavarian Deltron 3030)...throw in some cameos by Will Smith and Satan, a few elephants...you're probably halfway there... As to the musical style, you'll hear Louis Armstrong, Johnny Watson, generic carribean band no.10, Myron Floren, and the RZA combine in some sort of pan-cultural Wu-Tang Clan. Enough street cred, at least in theory, to accomplish everything at once or nothing at all. TT manages to keep my interest through much of the album, though, and uses the contrasting and complimenting musical styles the way we'd hear them in a movie soundtrack. They tell the story effectively, and keep the concept interesting for those of us not fluent in German. I just picture TT as a raumfahrer auteur on a Lomax-like mission to document and capture all, or at least most, of the Western musical experience, then translate it for his countrymen. The result? An interesting album that you can stream or download free over at Bandcamp or the artist's label, Shalom Salon.
Provided, this effort isn't a revelation of the mysteries of time and space, but it is an interesting addition to the world of international hip-hop. Some listeners might be turned off by the prevalence of German, but with only brief flirtations in German, I was able to understand most of TT's vision. In fact, if you really want to find some interesting things, you have to break out of the expectation of English vocals, and look past the language barrier to the feel of the music.
So, give Torky Tork's Black a listen if you're feeling adventurous. After all, it won't cost you much except in the time department.
