Sweatshop Union – Infinite [Album]
Canadian hip-hop heavyweights Sweatshop Union, one of the hardest working ensembles to ever emerge from British Columbia, their May 28th release of Infinite is the groups most ambitious album to date.
“Infinite spans about a year’s time of experiences and sounds from us, whereas other albums represented maybe a few months,†explains SSU rapper/producer, Mos Eisley. “It bridges the so-called gap between conscious music and fun party music. It deals with some deep esoteric themes and it also throws caution to the wind when it’s time to kick back. Its strength lies in this dichotomy.â€
Infinite follows 2011’s Bill Murray EP, which won the Western Canadian Music Award for Hip-Hop Album of the Year and raised their profile beyond their grassroots following. The new LP contains a range of vibes and sounds, combining old-school hip-hop sounds with futuristic, electro headbangers, not to mention some ballads and spoken word interludes. It accomplishes the tricky task of reflecting the outfit’s individual tastes, as they inform SSU’s collective vision.
The group is prolific and moves quickly but, as of this moment, Infinite currently stands as the most eclectic record in the Sweatshop Union catalogue.
“People are gonna feel many different ways about this record, and that’s the point: it forces the listener to recognize that Sweatshop Union can not be easily categorized or predicted,†Eisley says. “I hope sincerely that people can tell that we had a lot of fun putting together all this music, and that there are many more layers left to explore.â€