It’s become increasingly common for record labels to release mixes of snippets of a given album in advance of its release. There’s something about these mixes that can seem preemptive at best, but perhaps they’re a good idea. Maybe uploading a preview edit will discourage “MP3 bloggers” from uploading whole tracks, since many of those writers are simply looking for a solid piece of audio on which to hang their observations.
Take, for example, the “Megachopped Suite” MP3 of Prefuse 73‘s new Preparations, available for free from its releasing label, Warp Records. The opening bit sounds particularly like Prefuse’s production work on Japanese beatboxer Afra’s Digital Breath, which is a major plus. Later come snatches of gadgety pop music, hip-hop shout-outs, blissful choruses, classic-pop samples, and glitchy edits (MP3). Given that chopping and slicing are part and parcel of Prefuse 73’s music in general, this Preparations primer qualifies as a self-remix rather than just a teaser montage (something Moby did for his most recent album, Hotel).
The album’s due out in the U.S. and Canada on October 23, when we can hear the various elements in their original contexts. It’s already out in Europe. More info at the Preparations minisite, warprecords.com/p73, which — lest one forget the MP3 file’s promotional intent — also houses some psychedelic wallpapers and a full-length video.