Uncut Gems [LP]

Swedish producer Max I Million is back on his hip-hop steez with 'Uncut Gems,' an instrumental album that blends left-field creativity with boom-bap vibes. It's equal parts futuristic and nostalgic, a distinctive combination of sounds that never gets too comfortable, nor too experimental. Pulling that off is no easy feat, and neither is making it sound this damn good. But that's just what Max does with this project.  'Uncut Gems' is pure audio dope that's loaded with musical layers. And it turns out that Max actually produced these tracks with that concept in mind, so that listeners would play it again and again to unearth new sounds and production techniques with each spin. "I want to elevate minds and make them feel inclined to, in the words of Dilla, 'Turn me up another notch in your system!'," he says.