Cleaver, Gerald

***Expanding on 2020’s ‘Signs’, his electronic debut, ‘Griots’ sees Cleaver diving further into the spider’s web of modular electronics, further exploring the electronic history of his Detroit roots. Combining his unique talent for composition with a curious ear for the unpredictable, Cleaver delivers another outstandingly dense and sprawling LP for a split release by Brooklyn-based Positive Elevation and Belgium’s Meakusma. Sonically, the LP takes in a wide range of ideas and influences, blending them in a flurry of unruly synthesis, FM tones, and muted drum machines. From the growling experimentation of opening track and lead single ‘Cooper-Moore’ to the glitchy 8-bit nods of the second single ‘Galaxy Faruq’, through to closing track ‘Buena Vista’, unusual scales, modes, and meters reign supreme across ‘Griots’, making for a thrilling, engaging, and challenging listen.