Album Review: Def Wish Cast - Evolution Machine

Def Wish Cast have fired up what they call the Evolution Machine for their 20th anniversary. Moving forward into 3012, the guys synonymous with keeping local hip hop on a firm grounding have returned to revisit the vintage era of electro-house and funk by which they were spoon-fed eons ago and are somehow mapping the future wave of where we need to be taking our hip hop.

Theirs is an amalgamation of new age jaunting sounds interwoven with a lyrical onslaught from Die C and Serek - as seen on Rhyme Animalz (Scientific Mix) and I Can't Believe It - with production from universally-recognised local M-Phazes, as well as Plutonic Lab, Resin Dogs (who brought us the laser-shot effect on the electro-friendly title track), DJ JS1, Katalyst, Dizz1 and more to completely edge this one out from the festival-happy outputs of most peers over the last few years. One Destination (Summer Synth Mix) produced by JP and Brass stands out as one of Def Wish's car-cruising faves – punch the volume on this one.

Overall the journey visits the likes of World Class Wreckin' Cru to Afrika Bambaataa's Planet Rock and back and beyond, button-pushing on everything that thickens what gives the art its colour today. I Can't Believe It pays homage to the history, and Dun Proppa and the title track put into practice vintage vocoder effects and sampling for nostalgic effect.

Real passion and dedication is painted with brush strokes here, a fine effort from one of the nation's longest standing outfits. Two tour guides embarking on a journey, and not just a dope album with a view to tomorrow by revisiting how we did it yesterday.