Every Color of Darkness is Miami-born hip-hop maestro Guillermo Scott Herren’s third release this year under the Prefuse 73 moniker. These releases mark a departure from a long-standing contract with legendary British label Warp Records, and begin a newly formed partnership with US label Temporary Resistance Limited. The New York-based imprint boasts a diverse roster which ranges from hardcore heavyweights Coliseum, to post-rock quartet Explosions in the Sky.

This eight-track EP fashions similar musical qualities to the previous Prefuse 73 output this year. Herren regularly pays little respect to holding a consistent groove. Intricately arranged percussion and bass parts drive each track, a style that Herren has often expressed throughout his fifteen year career. This brand of warped hip-hop is best shown on ‘Prime Meridian Narcissism’, with the track’s vocal layering creating a soothing warmth that provides depth beneath the sharper, compressed drums.

Other highlights include the richly arranged ‘The Squares of the City’ where Herren further cements his reputation as a relentlessly challenging sampling master. The track displays a saturated musical landscape, and stands in contrast to the current trend of sparsely layered electronic music produced by artists like Four Tet and Nicolas Jaar. ‘Search the Sky’ is another standout track. The bass pulsates under a vocal-led ambiance, and possesses the kind of sonic atmosphere that Warp Records veterans Autechre may have conjured in the late-nineties.

Every Color of Darkness is yet another carefully crafted work from a producer apt at making textually fulfilling music with controlled intensity. Despite not surpassing the legacy of 2005’s Surrounded by Silence, this EP is another quality set of productions to add to a prolific Prefuse 73 discography.

Adam Moher