Ishmael Butler photo by Kyle Johnson / Oneohtrix Point Never photo courtesy of the artist
Oneohtrix Point Never's Daniel Lopatin and Shabazz Palaces' Ishmael Butler have announced the existence of a new collaboration called 319. Seeing as both Lopatin and Butler have both made their own waves of weirdness this year—Lopatin by crafting the soundtrack to the film Good Time, and Butler by releasing a two-part space-rap concept album with Shabazz Palaces—it kind of makes sense that they'd unite for a shared project. In addition to the announcement, the pair also released their first piece of music in the same day, thanks to the Adult Swim Singles Series. Not bad, dudes.The song, called "The Rapture," is a natural meeting point of OPN's far-ranging atmospherics and Butler's decades-honed skills at hip-hop wordplay and delivery (though his smoky, unaltered voice here might draw comparison to 21 Savage among younger listeners). He wanders around, following the shifting textures of Lopatin's production wherever they go, resulting in something that's not quite rap and not quite ambient electronic. It's a ride, so listen to 319's "The Rapture" below.
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