Today was the first solar eclipse in over 30 years; better believe that I stacked up my playlist with some moody instrumental albums to make the experience extra atmospheric. Amid a pretty stacked list of great music, I included a new project from Portland, Oregon, producer Jordan Everist entitled Vacancy. At 12 tracks, the project traverses a few different sub-genres, providing a well-rounded impression of what the beatsmith is capable of.
Let’s dive in.
While Jordan has range, he also has this sonic signature of whimsical sounds, distorted vocal samples and trap undertones on top of interesting soundscapes; some of the beats sound like they are screaming for bars, like “100 Different Ways,” which a major artist like Future would destroy. Then there are tracks like “Tired” and “The Ghost” that have film score appeal.
There are some standouts after two solid listens. The first is “Switching Lanes,” which is one of the few tracks here to have vocals throughout; the slightly distorted chops on the chorus and the slow-paced head nodding beat makes it an obvious favorite with over 18k spins on SoundCloud, far outperforming the others. The next track, “Let Go,” has a bouncy indie-vibe and a killer hook — if you only have time for two, start here.
But those tracks don’t demonstrate his love of Hip Hop as much as the “Money Oil Interlude,” which features repurposed Big L lyrics and “What We Do,” which reworks the song “So Anxious” by Ginuwine.
Jordan is a creative; from making beats for his friends to rap on to creating full bodies of work. He has a sound that warrants attention. This project is a solid effort from the producer. I’d be interested in hearing some heavy lyricists drops some bars over his production — it would give a whole new outlook/direction to his work.
As I watched the eclipse, a phenomenon I won’t experience again until I’m at least 60, come to an end — and the sun slowly resume its regular function — “XVI” slowly faded out. A great listen.
Add Vacancy to your weekly playlist!
