(Warp/Inertia)

After sampling the voices and cutting and pasting banjo samples from The Books in an superbly layered mosaic, for ‘Pagina Dos’ on his last album ‘Surrounded By Silence’ and coming up tops with one of the album’s brightest shining lights.

Prefuse 73 has decided to borrow more books and base a whole EP on his use of their works to provide a fitting and exciting homage to a band that should appear on more people’s list of influences.

Much like the recently released ‘The Free Design: Redesigned’ and the not so recent ‘Prop: Cook, Cut Damage Destroy’, this sees an artist immerse himself in another’s work, looking at what he hears in the music, cutting, chopping and translating the work in his own way. Adding beats, samples and a distinct Prefuse flavour to pay respect in the highest form.

It’s a 23 minute, 8-track sojourn you won’t want to end too soon, it’s happy, busy yet so simple at times, sad, fun, beautiful and schizophrenic all at once and proves Prefuse 73 & The Books were made to collaborate, even though coming from different eras. The use of Claudia Deheza(ex-On! Air! Library!)’s soulful and soporific vocals are used to exact measure, not over the top and not too little either, just adding that perfect amount of lulling grace.

It’s an EP well worth chasing down if you’re into the way things work and the way artists influence the artists you listen to today, experimental stoner bliss!