Production is a craft, and Blockhead does it with restraint and delicacy. His earlier work with rap great Aesop Rock proved his talent for beats and hooks, but his more recent solo efforts have shown him capable of unexpected and unusual twists. Instrumental hip-hop demands a high caliber of production and Blockhead’s taste for off-beat samples and ruminating song structures meets the challenge. You can catch the born-and-raised New Yorker next at Elsewhere on December 22nd. – Cameron Carr
