The seven-song EP Senses Overloaded, from the instrumental hip-hop DJ team of Lamont and 2tall, opens with the exotic: a slinky track that uses as its base a romantic bit of koto, the string instrument of Asian antiquity. The cut is titled “Perpetual Patterns” (MP3) and it’s one of the few here to include a vocal. Still, that vocal is cut and sliced and folded back upon itself thanks to edits that bring to mind a Houston-style screwed & chopped remix — that is, one in which the syllables, while remaining recognizable, come to be more about sound than meaning.
Other highlights include “First Inspiration” (MP3), which opens like mid-period Beastie Boys, all whistle samples and low-slung organ riffs, and the title track (MP3), which extends the downtempo mode even further, with strings, some taut drum loops, and deep acoustic bass lines.
An included remix of the title track (MP3) doesn’t so much break the original’s beats as it shoots them through with elegant fissures; the remix emphasizes the quieter elements and adds some spectral turntablism. Get the whole set for free at sensesoverloaded.com (warning: the site loads slowly). More info at the duo’s myspace.com/sensesoverloaded page.