Beats as Politics (2003) Ignore the agitprop song titles ("Civil Disobedience") on the U.S. debut by Montreal producer Poirier and focus on what's important: "Beats as Politics" is a… Ghislain Poirier
EW's GRADE
B+

Details Release Date: Sep 23, 2003; Lead Performance: Ghislain Poirier

Ignore the agitprop song titles (''Civil Disobedience'') on the U.S. debut by Montreal producer Poirier and focus on what's important: ''Beats as Politics'' is a damn convincing blueprint for the next generation of trip-hop. Mixing the spaciousness of dub, the neck-snapping drums of hip-hop, and the experimental tweaks of techno, Poirier creates moody tracks that hover between the immediacy of consciousness and the murkiness of sleep.

Originally posted Nov 14, 2003 Published in issue #737 Nov 14, 2003 Order article reprints