Yasiin Bey’s ‘The Ecstatic’ now through an Eastern lens courtesy of Lapgan
The 2009 LP gets a rework with tabla percussions & raga motifs
Lapgan is back with his latest project, ‘Yasiin Bey – The Ecstatic Remixed by Lapgan’, a full-length reimagining of the artist formerly known as Mos Def’s defining fourth LP, re-rooted in the producer’s Eastern influences.
Drawing heavily from Pakistani and Indian folk traditions, the remixes weave elements such as dhol and tabla-led percussion on ‘Priority’ and searching raga motifs on ‘Roses’, transforming the album’s sonic palette without losing the spirit of the original.
‘The Ecstatic’’s international instrumentation and incisive, globally conscious politics were deeply influential in shaping Lapgan’s own artistic ethos.
Read this next: Lapgan dishes out 21 tracks of beats & samples via Pakistan’s Lollywood
The words Bey spoke in 2009 still resonate today, and hearing those iconic verses set against Lapgan’s sample-driven, border-blurring production brings renewed urgency to the record’s themes.
Read this next: Listen to Lapgan’s sonic tapestry for Kartik Research at Paris Fashion Week
Speaking on the project, Lapgan commented: “I come back to The Ecstatic often. It’s one of my favorite hip hop albums and one that really influenced my sound. Yasiin speaking profound truths and affirmations over some of the greatest beats ever, it’s timeless. I was especially drawn to the beat and sample selection on the album. Madlib, Preservation, Dillla, Oh No all delivering a masterclass in sampling. The samples on ‘Supermagic’ and ‘Auditorium’ really stuck with me through the years.”
He continues, I had wanted to make a remix album for a while and one weekend felt inspired to try remixing this one. I kept it all sample-based and leaned heavily into my crates from India and Pakistan.”
Listen to the tracks of ‘Yasiin Bey - The Ecstatic Remixed by Lapgan’ here.
Henry Cooper is a Writer at Mixmag Asia. Follow him on Instagram.
Cut through the noise—sign up for our weekly Scene Report or follow us on Instagram to get the latest from Asia and the Asian diaspora!
