♫♪  AZOMALI - “Burmese Ruby”

In search of true exclusivity, seekers of material wealth develop increasingly absurd tastes, to the point where the things they accumulate have value only in that they are invaluable. This oxymoron, central to capitalism, pop culture and the electoral college, might seem to spiral into an abyss from which there’s no escape, but from such bottomless voids spring the raw elements that shape new universes.

Formerly known as Kaotik Ellement, △ZOMALI is a young and intensely brilliant MC who subversively flips base materialism into lyrics that read more like spell book ingredient lists than rap verses; yet does so while retaining his natural voice and delivery, never forcing rhymes or cramming syllables. (Hear how lines like “DMT, LSD, psilocybin, ayahuasca / I don’t need no fucking pills, give me a shaman doctor” effortlessly roll off the tongue.) The Freeport, Long Island native matches a visionary’s vocabulary with a particularly attuned ear, such that his vocals sound perfectly at home over even the most experimental instrumentals.

All of this and more is on vivid display in “Burmese Ruby,” △ZOMALI’s unique take on the “Owa” instrumental by cerebral beatsmith Botany, which appeared on his 2013 album, Lava Diviner (Truestory), released by Western Vinyl. The audio-only version of “Burmese Ruby” has been making the rounds on SoundCloud for a minute and will appear on △ZOMALI’s self-titled debut EP dropping in April (cover art above). The Joe Bernard-directed video premieres below.

Chocolate Grinder

CHOCOLATE GRINDER is our audio/visual section, with an emphasis on the lesser heard and lesser known. We aim to dig deep, but we’ll post any song or video we find interesting, big or small.

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