Deltron 3030 is a supergroup consisting of 3 members: the hugely slept on Del tha Funkee Homosapien (who is mostly known for his contribution on Gorillaz’ first album), Dan the Automator who takes the spot as producer and last but not least DJ Kid Koala, who works miracles on the turntables. Together they created a masterpiece.

Set in the year 3030 (this being a full concept album), it revolves around the character Deltron Zero who is sent out to out-rap all rappers in a corporate controlled society (well, that’s what I got out of it). The whole album is like a space opera where Dan the Automator creates this amazing atmosphere of mind state, which can only be described as something in the way of dead space. Here Del can float around and do whatever he wants to, fusing vivid metaphors with slick flows and a clear direction; all of which he does to perfection. He flows so flawlessly on the smooth sci-fi beats, and his rhymes keep you challenged and mind-blown at the same time.

The musical aspect is what makes this album come together so well. Truly reassembling a sound so unique it’s hard to compare with any other release I can remember. Stretching over more than 24 tracks, it’s a tour de force in futuristic beats sprinkled with hard-hitting snares, biting drums and looped samples that will dig under your skin and crawl down your spine. Borrowing from everything within the range of alt-rock riffs and opera samples, every beat is in constant development to enhance itself and surprise the listener. Kid Koala’s signature scratching is visible throughout all 24 tracks which makes the whole ride so much more fun and interesting, because not only do you get super complex rhymes and beats, you are also constantly reminded that despite being on some planet 1000 years from now, this is still in the heart of Hip-Hop.

“Who fuses the music, with no illusions
Producing the blueprints, clueless?
Automator – defy the laws of nature
Electronic monolith throw a jam upon the disc
The futuristic looper with the quickness
Hyper-producin’ hydrogen fusion liquids keep your distance”

To be honest, this is quite a geeky album; the lyricism that controls the album is in a techno language that can be a bit hard to follow. You won’t really get it on your first listen. For me, this is a vital album to remind us that music should be fun, challenging and always moving forward. Everyone should listen to this album, it’s simply something you can’t miss out on. Standout tracks would be the incredibly beautiful “3030″, the boom bap like “Mastermind”, the almost psychotic “Madness” and middle eastern inspired “Turbulence”. However, you shouldn’t skip any tracks as you would only miss out on the complete package, which is important for such a creation.

My advice would be to put it on and just drift away into this foreign universe along with the 3 creators and see the world the way they see it.

by Oskar