Album Review: Def Wish Cast - The Evolution Machine

Let's get something out of the way. The Evolution Machine isn't just the best Australian hip hop album of the last two years, it's the best hip hop album of the last couple of years, period. Where most of their peers are concentrating on crafting festival friendly hooks, the Def Wish Cast boys are taking a trip deep into the history of hip hop culture – a trip that's somehow allowed them to also map its future. The Evolution Machine is an amazing record for so many reasons – not least of which is the emceeing – the rapid fire rhymes of Def Wish; the rugged street level aggression of Die C and Serek's b-boy bravado – every verse spat is memorable in its own right. But even more decisive is the LPs musical approach, one that eschews formula for an organic unpredictability.

Def Wish Cast grew up in an era where electro and funk informed a nascent underground culture and they've returned to this long forgotten age to give The Evolution Machine a razor sharp sonic edge. Examples are everywhere, but just to cite a few: Rock On channels The Gap Band; lead single Dun Proppa is a unrelenting maelstrom of beats and cuts with a dope electro edge; and the superbly smooth One Destination is itself destined to be a summertime classic.

But don't for one minute think that The Evolution Machine is an exercise in nostalgia – hip hop's heritage inspires Def Wish Cast's approach – it doesn't confine and control it. Instead this is a collection of tracks that offer a glimpse at where hip hop can go when it's handled with respect and performed with true passion. In other words: when it's done right. Def Wish Cast have been dealt some cruel blows during their long career – but with this album they've finally climbed the mountain. The result is pure magic.