Cryptolect - The Marrow In My Bones

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  • A "cryptolect" is the jargon of a group, a secretive language or code—gay Polari, Cockney rhyming slang and African American Vernacular English (AAVE) would all count as cryptolects. Much experimental music can be read this way, too. It can be obtuse or misleading on the surface, and most people won't care enough to attempt to decipher its message. But if you understand it, you're probably part of the group somehow. The Marrow In My Bones is New York-based producer and singer Sanyu Nicolas's debut release as Cryptolect, although she used to operate under another moniker, the equally literary Invitation To A Beheading. The EP's press release cites her work on vocals, but they appear as disembodied samples—altered, looped and unattributable. As a producer, Nicolas has a modern and fluid sensibility but remains rooted in rhythm. While Arca—another artist launched by UNO's free download series—is a useful reference point, that artist's early work was more mutated hip-hop; Cryptolect sounds more closely related to the Fade To Mind post-rave canon. One thing she shares with Arca is a heightened sense of emotionality, and as anonymous as her vocals are, they help with that. Both "Punished" and "Falling" give you a good sense of this—the words may be muffled, but their yearning is clear. A pounding beat only adds to the intensity of these tracks. Cryptolect may speak in codes, but some things are universal.
  • Tracklist
      01. Creature 02. Punished 03. Forever 04. Falling 05. Nails Deep 06. Heart's A Cage
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