I’ve found myself listening to a lot of Prefuse 73 lately. It’s amazing how versatile this music is for me. I can listen to in intensely and let myself become engrossed in it… but I can also just hang out with friends and let it chill in the background. It works in the gym, but also works while studying. The only time it doesn’t really work is on the subway (because there are too many quiet nuances that get drowned out by squealing subway breaks).

Prefuse 73 is actually a recording name for Scott Herren, who records under a few other names (each name carries a different tone for defining the project). The Prefuse 73 stuff is definitely my favorite. The music is often described as “glitch”… which just means, a constantly moving mix of some hip-hop/electronica/rock sampling. Another example of glitch would be Girl Talk (an artist I live-blogged while at his show).

The two albums I have are One Word Extinguisher and Surrounded by Silence. If you’ve never heard of Prefuse 73 before, I definitely recommend starting with One Word Extinguisher, but I think that Surrounded by Silence is very underrated, especially for awesome the hip hop samples. Surrounded by Silence is louder, and it earns its intensity.

Check out “Busy Signal” off of One Word Extinguisher. Prefuse 73 just passed through NYC on tour, and I really regret not going. I’m hooked; come join my addiction.