Black Vinyl There’s no room for chance in the beats of Spectacular Diagnostics. Every movie dialogue, every loop, and every tiniest of sample serves a clear purpose. Layers of sound unfold a new world to explore, carefully put together like an archaeologist excavating old records—a theme more literally hinted at with the title of his previous album, ‘Ancient Methods.’ On ‘Raw Lessons,’ that focused, detailed approach also shows in the rigorous selection of emcees the Chicago-based producer works with. The features are a snapshot of today’s supernova of an independent scene. From Wrecking Crew and Backwoodz affiliates Curly Castro and PremRock, to the distinct signatures of Fatboi Sharif and Bruiser Wolf. The UK is well represented with features by SonnyJim, King Kashmere, CLBRKS, Lee Scott & Bisk, and long-time collaborator Kid Acne. Two of the earliest Big Dada signees in the late-90s—Juice Aleem and Mike Ladd—close the album as two contemporaries who paved the way for much of the forward-thinking, free-form hip-hop of today on both sides of the pond.
