Aethiopes

The first of two albums billy woods released in 2022, Aethiopes is an ambitious, multi-faceted work which explores concepts related to the idea of Blackness as well as the reality of Africa and its diaspora. The title refers to an ancient European name for Africans, and the cover art is a close-up of a 1661 Rembrandt painting titled Two Moors. Produced by past collaborator Preservation (Dr. Yen Lo, Sonic Sum, tour DJ for Yasiin Bey), the album draws from North African music, reggae, and avant-garde jazz, creating disorienting, off-the-grid soundscapes rather than standard boom-bap drum patterns. Droning horns lend an apocalyptic feel to the intense, poetic "No Hard Feelings." Sparse, resonant percussion backs "Wharves," which paints vivid, harrowing scenes of colonial invasion. Breeze Brewin and El-P trade rapid-fire guest verses on the heart-racing "Heavy Water," while Fatboi Sharif helps elevate "Haarlem" into a surreal nightmare. Other guests on the album include Boldy James, Quelle Chris, Mike Ladd, and British dancehall reggae legend Shinehead. Densely packed with historical references and acute lyrical imagery, Aethiopes requires numerous listens and extensive research to fully comprehend, yet even on cursory listens, the albums scope, detail, and creativity are highly impressive. ~ Paul Simpson