Hot damn, hip-hop fans! If it seems like we’ve all been clamoring for another shit-hot collaboration album from Deltron 3030 (a.k.a. the supercollective comprised of Del the Funky Homosapien, DJ Kid Koala, and producer Dan the Automator) since way back in the year 2000 when the gang first released its self-titled debut and made all of our high school girlfriends threaten to dump our asses if we didn’t stop listening to it on a Discman plugged into a tape deck while smoking shitty weed; that’s because we HAVE been! It’s freaking THIRTEEN years later, man. WE’RE OLD as shit. We’re fatter, lazier, uglier (partially from drinking all of this crap), and possibly kid-ridden. On the plus side, though? Our weed is a little better.
…Which is good! Because we’re gonna need it come October 1, when the group’s long-awaited follow-up, Deltron 3030: Event II, finally comes out on Bulk Recordings. In addition to guest appearances from the likes of Damon Albarn, Mike Patton, The Lonely Island, Rage Against the Machine’s Zack De La Rocha, Emily Wells, and Jamie Cullum, the album also apparently features quite a few oddballs, including actors David Cross, Amber Tamblyn, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as well as, uh, chef David Chang. But because they’ve made us all wait for 13 years, the trio is being kind enough to release an EP, entitled City Rising from the Ashes, on August 13, which will feature three tracks from the new album. Oh, and there’s also a trailer out now that features the opening track… aaaand Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Sweet.
But… so… why is there a chef in the credits? And more importantly, what’s the album concept? Let’s ask Del:
This time, the album has a specific story. The Deltron world has gone too far with technology. Everything’s destroyed, and you just see the remnants of our technology. The streets are run by criminals, the police are outnumbered and outgunned, and we’re like pirates, running rogue, doing what we do to survive. That’s the scene of it. We’re trying to be as literary as possible while dealing with a musical format. I don’t know if you could even categorize this as a hip hop album - it’s more like a rock opera, but using rap.
Uh oh. Sorry Del, but… that all kinda sounds like Waterworld. Jeez, I hope you guys didn’t make Waterworld.
Deltron 3030: Event II tracklisting:
01. Stardate (ft. Joseph Gordon-Levitt)
02. The Return
03. Pay the Price
04. Nobody Can (ft. Aaron Bruno of AWOLNATION)
05. Lawnchair Quarterback Pt. 1 (ft. David Cross and Amber Tamblyn)
06. Melding of the Minds (ft. Zach De La Rocha)
07. The Agony (ft. Mary Elizabeth Winstead)
08. Back in the Day (ft. The Lonely Island)
09. Talent Supersedes (ft. Black Rob)
10. Look Across the Sky (ft. Mary Elizabeth Winstead)
11. The Future of Food (ft. David Chang)
12. My Only Love (ft. Emily Wells)
13. What Is This Loneliness (ft. Damon Albarn and Casual)
14. Lawnchair Quarterback Pt. 2 (ft. David Cross and Amber Tamblyn)
15. City Rising From the Ashes (background vocals by Mike Patton)
16. Do You Remember (ft. Jamie Cullum)
City Rising From the Ashes EP tracklisting:
01. City Rising From the Ashes
02. The Agony (ft. Mary Elizabeth Winstead)
03. Pay the Price
• Deltron 3030: http://twitter.com/OfficialDELTRON
• Bulk Recordings: http://www.bulkrecordings.com