Beats Antique, an experimental trio of producers from Oakland, collide the modern beats of hip-hop and electronic with the antique sounds of the Middle East and orchestra. Their latest addition, “The Trunk Archives,” is nothing new to fans. As the album’s title suggests, it is an ever-growing junk pile of Beats Antique’s tracks that never found their way to their previous releases, “Contraption” and “Collide.”
But don’t let the word ‘junk’ fool you. These tracks can transport one’s mind to exotic worlds just as well as their other albums. “Waisted” plays like a spy thriller, with the dramatics of the orchestra dominating. “BLOCKHEAD” plops the listener into a circus act. And “Circulation” mesmerizes with the power of a belly dancer.
“The Trunk Archives” leaves listeners curious to search deeper into that trunk.