Let’s not bury the lede here, this new track from Six One Tribe is a collaborative effort featuring Namir Blade, FU Stan, Gee Slab, Weston, Riø Tøkyø, & Negro Justice. Furthermore, it was produced by Namir Blade, Just Vibez and Aaron Dethrage. That’s a lot of credentials to pack into one song and a lot of expectations to set before the first note even plays. Fortunately, Six One Tribe is not one to disappoint.

For the unfamiliar, Six One Tribe is a lot of things. It’s a collective of hip-hop musicians. It’s a studio for traditional recording and capturing freestyles. It’s a label that releases original compilations. In short, it’s an entity in Nashville doing a great deal to support the local hip-hop scene and it’s doing so incredibly well.

As for the track itself, it comes out swinging with an impressively upbeat party vibe. That feeling of wild summer abandon is present from the very first bars. The verses provided by Weston, Rio Tokyo and Negro Justice are all distinctively in their own voices, yet another testament to how Six One Tribe provides a space for their community of creators to shine. Pay close attention to the underlaying track, as there’s a lot of nuance happening with some intense drums, small flourishes of effects and enjoyable call-and-responses.

Six One Tribe dropped this on a Sunday afternoon in October and I’m told the track has been in the works for some time. There’s no telling what gems live in their archive but it’s safe advice to go follow them on Instagram and over on YouTube, as we likely won’t want to miss whatever comes next.

Back in July, Zwil AR released the double EP Rebell​-​Diamanten / d Küste. Or, rather, they re-released the double EP from an abridged 2013 version by adding new tracks, providing better mastering and generally revitalizing it into its proper form. Given that metamorphosis, it’s fitting that the lead track, and the video we’re excited to premiere today, for “Zellen!” is a study in transformation.

The underlying track is an exercise in minimalism with light, sampled, percussion looping throughout the duration but an absolute maximalist approach with the layers of vocal arrangements; slowly building and layering into seven simultaneous parts. Lyrically, Zwil takes us on a riveting journey through the minute details of different cell structures; of both the Plant and Animal type. It’s a safe bet that this is the most riveting song mentioned ribosomes, cytoplasm, lipids and cholorplasts that you’ve heard… ever.

The build is absolutely mesmerizing, only made even more transfixing by the addition of the Far Out Free Fest organizer Bunny Ames directed video. Much like the track itself, the video is deceptively minimal; a white sheet with projected images of cells cast atop various multiplied performances of Zwil themselves. As the track unfolds the entrancing cacophony sets in, both visually and aurally. Without striking the right balance, this could easily be an overload to the senses but, fortunately, that balance is handled with care and the results are simply a striking representation of both the lyrical content and the vocal performance.

Zwil AR describes the track as “freak-folk-esque.” It’s not an incorrect label but it is an insufficient one; as the magic playing out here is dashes of experimental electronic, psychedelic and full-on high art. Zwil AR is involved with a number of projects but the willingness to revisit prior works and coax them into a finalized form is a testament to their artistry. If we were the type of site to give scores for a release, this entire split re-release would get top marks.

Follow Zwil AR over on Instagram @zwil.ar, pick up the release over on Bandcamp or stream it.