Leaving behind the distractions and hectic aurora of the city, and ascending into the tranquil and inspiring heart of the Blue Mountains, Hermitude have extradited all the karmic energy the pristine environment could dish up, and channeled it into one of the best piece of beats work this year. Title Alleys to Valleys could be taken both metaphorically and literally, describing their hermit-like crawl into the mountains. Drawing on an array of equipment and sounds, at times with the complexity of The Avalanches, the familiar sounds of dub, jazz and hip hop lurk behind the beats, showing and fading at just the right moments. If this seems like a big rap for such a lesser known act, its no coincidence that both Dubs and Elgusto have a collaborated and individual resume to be proud of, working with, but not limited to, Paul Mac and Sereck. Think of it in the vein of a chilled back Salmonella Dub with a little input from Meta Bass n Breath, held together by some experimental downbeats and hypnotic sounds.
(review by Rod)

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Tracklisting
1 Massive Passive
2 Imaginary Friends
3 Splendid Isolation
4 Alleys To Valleys
5 Section Reckin
6 Cave Styles
7 Moth Journey
8 Highway Burner
9 Space Evaders
10 Druken Dub
11 Damn Man
12 Fire Up De Converters
13 Gusto's Theme

Full listing of HERMITUDE releases