Daryl Donald is a 25-year-old Edinburgh based Lo-Fi Hip Hop producer. He released his debut studio album “Solitude” in 2017 which featured on BBC Scotland’s Introducing with Vic Galloway. Daryl’s influences include many Golden era hip hop legends including Pete Rock, J Dilla, and Madlib. An electro, lo-fi maestro, Daryl will paint all the pretty pictures in your mind with this new album ‘Behold the Spirit’. The title depicts exactly the esoteric nature of the tracks.
‘Solar Myth’ will ease you in gently, it is a sweet and short introduction to the album. It offers a hazy but appealing transition into the bigger and bolder tracks that follow. ‘Nothing Strange’ begins our journey through lyrical sampling. Another pleasant listening experience that is sprinkled with twinkles of tuned percussion and brushed hi-hat. You will find yourself lost in the repetition of rolling counter melodies that bring you out of yourself: a neat little escape from the mundane.
The aptly named ‘Oiseau’, floats rather than flies like a bird. Echoes of trumpet pad out this instrumental piece. It is layered with mythical, mind expanding sounds. They feed your inner calm and bring everything down a step. Likewise, ‘Sanity’ maybe the answer to all your worrisome days. It has a slow jazz feel. With a soft rhythm guitar and a sweet soulful backing vocal that reverbs between your ears, it is a masterpiece that appears simple but expertly made.
‘Midnight Mirage’ is the fifth track of the album. It has a strong drumbeat sample, and breaks up the feel of the rest of the track nicely by creating a more definitive pulse to it. The sweet little bass guitar riff that sits almost faintly in the background has a tone so subtle, it’s like a hidden gem that awaits you as you allow yourself to sink deep into the low-fi world of Daryl’s.
‘Unbeyond’ as a title is pretty mysterious in itself. The hint of contradiction in the name is a fair representation of the tracks contents. The melody and countermelodies are soft and lazy but manage to decorate the beat, which pushes the tune forward. ‘Banquet’ takes a slightly different feel, with the introduction of what sounds more like hip-hop vocals. This sets the tone for ‘Like a Brother’ which uses lyrics less as an additional feature and more of as a centrepiece to a story encapsulated in a musical structure. This shift in focus shows how Daryl’s album offers an evolution of sounds, from the very simplistic opener to some more genre bending tracks.
A nice example of this meandering through style and timbre is ‘Hommage’ it offers you a moment to stop, take stock, and reflect on what’s gone before as well as prepare yourself for what’s to follow. ‘Blessed’ stays in this story telling, hip-hop box. Almost transcending over into dub at times, laying down a very soothing pace.
There’s something much more soulful about ‘The Artist Weeps’. Chimes and triangles are the order of the day. It’s an easy listening, put on your comfy clothes, and gaze into the horizon kind of affair. Utterly enchanting. I almost forgot to keep writing as I melted into its trickling beats.
Then the album’s namesake, ‘Behold the Spirit’ contains a few words of wisdom about how to do musical listening. I didn’t expect to get philosophical in a lo-fi track like this. But it sums up nicely the characteristically effortless style of Daryl’s and the way in which he creates something soul nurturing with ease.
Daryl has a lot of promising and upcoming projects with other local artists and is expected to release more collaborations in the future. He is definitely one to keep a tab on and fill you up with chill time whenever you need.
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