Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Quasimoto's The Unseen is one of the most imaginative albums of the new West Coast underground, a puzzling, psychedelic jazz-rap gem riddled with warped humor and fractured musical genius. Producer Madlib actually outdoes his inventive work on the Lootpack's debut album, Soundpieces: Da Antidote!, crafting deep, dreamy jazz loops littered with found sounds and wiggy vocal samples. Quasimoto's helium-huffing voice is actually Madlib's, electronically altered for an effect not unlike Prince's abandoned Camille project. It might put some listeners off as gimmicky, and it's really a shame if it does, because it isn't really the focal point of The Unseen's left-field brilliance. It's more of an added textural element for Madlib's off-kilter soundscapes and a vehicle for the cartoonish humor hinted at in his choice of samples. The lyrics are highly free-associative (that is to say, stoned beyond belief), and by turns paranoid, threatening, or hallucinatory. But it all melts into the warm, druggy haze of the music; unlike, say, the Wu-Tang Clan or Dr. Octagon, this dream isn't supposed to be a nightmare. Quas' scattershot flow isn't what you'd call technically accomplished, but that's by design -- he's supposed to be fragmented, not quite all there. The song structures are similarly loose, with rhymes coming from nowhere and disappearing just as quickly; the tracks are short (all under four minutes) and end abruptly, as though Quas is too blunted to think of anything else to say. (Madlib does appear as himself on occasion, and usually sounds just as noncommittal as his "collaborator.") Highlights are plentiful, and include the brilliant singles "Microphone Mathematics" and "Come on Feet," the bizarre trash-talking of "Bad Character" and "Put a Curse on You," and the joy-of-music cuts "Return of the Loop Digga" and "Jazz Cats, Pt. 1," which recount Madlib's obsession with record collecting and name-check his favorites. It takes some time to assimilate, but The Unseen gradually reveals itself as one of the most unique and rewarding albums of its era.
© Steve Huey /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From $10.83/month
Quasimoto, MainArtist
2004 Stones Throw Records 2004 Stones Throw Records
Quasimoto, MainArtist
2004 Stones Throw Records 2004 Stones Throw Records
Quasimoto, MainArtist
2004 Stones Throw Records 2004 Stones Throw Records
Quasimoto, MainArtist
2004 Stones Throw Records 2004 Stones Throw Records
Quasimoto, MainArtist
2004 Stones Throw Records 2004 Stones Throw Records
Quasimoto, MainArtist - Mr. Herb, MainArtist
2004 Stones Throw Records 2004 Stones Throw Records
Quasimoto, MainArtist
2004 Stones Throw Records 2004 Stones Throw Records
Quasimoto, MainArtist
2004 Stones Throw Records 2004 Stones Throw Records
Quasimoto, MainArtist
2004 Stones Throw Records 2004 Stones Throw Records
Quasimoto, MainArtist
2004 Stones Throw Records 2004 Stones Throw Records
Quasimoto, MainArtist
2004 Stones Throw Records 2004 Stones Throw Records
Quasimoto, MainArtist
2004 Stones Throw Records 2004 Stones Throw Records
Quasimoto, MainArtist
2004 Stones Throw Records 2004 Stones Throw Records
Quasimoto, MainArtist
2004 Stones Throw Records 2004 Stones Throw Records
Quasimoto, MainArtist
2004 Stones Throw Records 2004 Stones Throw Records
Quasimoto, MainArtist
2004 Stones Throw Records 2004 Stones Throw Records
Quasimoto, MainArtist
2004 Stones Throw Records 2004 Stones Throw Records
Quasimoto, MainArtist - MED, MainArtist
2004 Stones Throw Records 2004 Stones Throw Records
Quasimoto, MainArtist
2004 Stones Throw Records 2004 Stones Throw Records
Quasimoto, MainArtist
2004 Stones Throw Records 2004 Stones Throw Records
Quasimoto, MainArtist
2004 Stones Throw Records 2004 Stones Throw Records
Quasimoto, MainArtist
2004 Stones Throw Records 2004 Stones Throw Records
Quasimoto, MainArtist
2004 Stones Throw Records 2004 Stones Throw Records
Quasimoto, MainArtist - Wildchild, MainArtist
2004 Stones Throw Records 2004 Stones Throw Records
Album review
Quasimoto's The Unseen is one of the most imaginative albums of the new West Coast underground, a puzzling, psychedelic jazz-rap gem riddled with warped humor and fractured musical genius. Producer Madlib actually outdoes his inventive work on the Lootpack's debut album, Soundpieces: Da Antidote!, crafting deep, dreamy jazz loops littered with found sounds and wiggy vocal samples. Quasimoto's helium-huffing voice is actually Madlib's, electronically altered for an effect not unlike Prince's abandoned Camille project. It might put some listeners off as gimmicky, and it's really a shame if it does, because it isn't really the focal point of The Unseen's left-field brilliance. It's more of an added textural element for Madlib's off-kilter soundscapes and a vehicle for the cartoonish humor hinted at in his choice of samples. The lyrics are highly free-associative (that is to say, stoned beyond belief), and by turns paranoid, threatening, or hallucinatory. But it all melts into the warm, druggy haze of the music; unlike, say, the Wu-Tang Clan or Dr. Octagon, this dream isn't supposed to be a nightmare. Quas' scattershot flow isn't what you'd call technically accomplished, but that's by design -- he's supposed to be fragmented, not quite all there. The song structures are similarly loose, with rhymes coming from nowhere and disappearing just as quickly; the tracks are short (all under four minutes) and end abruptly, as though Quas is too blunted to think of anything else to say. (Madlib does appear as himself on occasion, and usually sounds just as noncommittal as his "collaborator.") Highlights are plentiful, and include the brilliant singles "Microphone Mathematics" and "Come on Feet," the bizarre trash-talking of "Bad Character" and "Put a Curse on You," and the joy-of-music cuts "Return of the Loop Digga" and "Jazz Cats, Pt. 1," which recount Madlib's obsession with record collecting and name-check his favorites. It takes some time to assimilate, but The Unseen gradually reveals itself as one of the most unique and rewarding albums of its era.
© Steve Huey /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 24 track(s)
- Total length: 01:03:09
- Main artists: Quasimoto Madlib
- Label: Stones Throw Records
- Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
2004 Stones Throw Records 2004 Stones Throw Records
Distinctions:
Improve album information
Why buy on Qobuz?
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalog with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets, and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.