Rob Swift
The Architect
(Ipecac Recordings; Feb 23rd)

Master turntablist Rob Swift has strived to expand the definition of Hip Hop since his first release in the mid-90’s. In an age where creating an iTunes play list is the sole prerequisite for being called a DJ, Swift’s boundary-pushing new release, The Architect, is a refreshing reminder that the 1’s and 2’s are an instrument in themselves. Using his newfound love of classical music as a point of inspiration, Swift’s latest work has as much in common with Mozart as it does with Grandmaster Flash. The innovative album has found a perfect home on fellow experimental musician Mike Patton’s label, Ipecac Recordngs (Melvins, Isis, Hella).

Swift first arose to prominence as a member of the turntablist collective the X-Men a.k.a. X-ecutioners, and soon became known across the globe for his beat juggling skills. He has since gone on to work with an incredibly varied array of artists including Herbie Hancock, Cypress Hill, Dan the Automator, and Blue Man Group. Swift has also appeared on Sesame Street, ESPN, and The Late Show With David Letterman, all while maintaining his underground credibility and sense of adventure

A quick glance at The Architect’s track listing reveals that Swift has created a conceptual piece of work. Though mostly instrumental, the album is not a “concept album” but rather a series of compositions deliberately sequenced to form a greater, unified whole. On “Principio,” the album’s lone MC, Breez Evahflowin, breaks it down when he spits “The way it’s layed down, don’t shuffle this LP / the truth is you’d miss something that’s healthy / something like progress, the artform elevated / the next level of turntablism and innovators.”

Though only two tracks contain vocals, The Architect is ripe with emotion and abstract narrative. Orchestral strings and organs mingle with fierce breakbeats and expert scratching. Swift’s exploration of manipulating pitch and tempo are executed and organized with the mindset of a virtuosic composer. The album not only adds to Swift’s illustrious legacy, but also adds news chapters in the history of the DJ and hip hop at large.

On Rob Swift’s 2009 DVD release As The Technics Spin, you're looking at a master Turntablist, a walking encyclopedia of the craft. He describes in precise detail how some of his most intricate routines work. But when he puts his hands on the wheels of steel, all the talk in no way prepares you for what you’re about to witness and the only way to truly understand the years of stellar experience he has in his pocket is to sit back, put on your best headphones, and listen to the magic Rob makes.

Always challenging the idea of what Hip Hop is and testing that notion any chance he can get, on his new album The Architect, Rob takes Hip Hop and effortlessly blends it with the genre of Classical music to create an album that acts as the soundtrack to his vision of where Hip Hop can head rather than where it is right now. The Architect also marks Rob Swift’s debut release on Mike Patton’s Ipecac Recordings label, a perfect fit as both men have been challenging the notion of music for years. They have previously toured together promoting Patton’s Peeping Tom project and their collaborative effort General Patton Vs. The X-ecutioners. With a history that grabs heavily from jazz, Rob now pushes the boundaries of music even further, championing its limitless possibilities. “Anyone who’s followed my career since my first mix tape in 1995 “Soulful Fruit,” knows that I’ve historically turned to jazz as a way to help convey my ideas as a DJ in the realm of Hip Hop. However, in June of 2008, I was introduced to the genre of classical music and that was a pivotal moment for me as an artist.” His introduction to composers like Mozart, Bach, and Chopin, opened up a whole new musical vocabulary for Rob. He became an eager student of the genre, soaking up as much knowledge as he could and while recording The Architect, he saw parallels between building his own compositions and those of classical composers. So he began thinking in terms of “what would composers like Chopin and Bach do if scratching existed back in their time?” Staying true to this question, sections of the album are arranged in movements. Rob explains, “As I was composing songs like “Rabia” and “Lower Level” I found myself scratching sounds that would become thematic and reintroduced throughout the album in different ways.” With only one MC as a special guest on The Architect, Breez Evahflowin, who brilliantly rhymes about the album’s concept on tracks “Principio” and “Ultimo,” Rob predominantly uses the turntable to build compositions that express his creative state of mind via the careful placement of cuts and scratches of symphonic like instruments.

Hip Hop purists will appreciate the chances Rob Swift has taken on The Architect, while music lovers will see that the genre of Turntablism and classical music have more in common than anyone ever thought. As for DJ Rob Swift fans? His musical evolution cannot be denied. No matter what, at the end of the day, the listeners will know the turntable is his microphone.

Having got his start as a DJ at age 12 from watching his father DJ meringue parties and older brother showing him the ropes, Robert Aguilar AKA Rob Swift pursued his love for music and joined the groundbreaking turntablist crew the X-Men aka X-ecutioners (Roc Raida, Total Eclipse, and Mista Sinista) in 1991. Within a year of joining the X, he won the coveted DMC East Coast title, becoming world renowned as a master beat juggler (a style of turntable manipulation which involves manually rearranging actual drum beats from vinyl in real time). In 2001, Rob Swift was featured in the DJ documentary SCRATCH (Palm Pictures). He has appeared on ESPN, The Late Show with David Letterman, and even Sesame Street. In 2008, Rob was the first Hip Hop DJ invited to perform at the Savannah, Georgia Jazz Festival. He has collaborated with artists from many genres including Blue Man Group, Herbie Hancock, Bob James, Linkin Park, Good Charlotte, Dan The Automator, Fat Joe, Cypress Hill and many others. Whether working solo, in a group setting as part of Ill Insanity (featuring former X-Men Total Eclipse and Precision) or collaborating with other like-minded artists, Rob Swift is always in perpetual motion, pushing the boundaries of what he does and connecting with audiences by all means necessary.