Released on November 10, 2005.
After founding the cult California collective Global Phlowtations, part of the Project Blowed family and featuring members such as Orko Eloheim and Sach (formerly of The Nonce), and after producing a handful of little-known yet highly worthwhile records for fellow member Inoe Oner, the producer and rapper also known as Thavius Beck went on to release several acclaimed albums on Mush Records and Big Dada. Those records helped him emerge from the depths of the California underground.
His finest album, however, wasn’t necessarily released on either of those labels. That distinction belongs to the original version of International Beats, a collection of untitled instrumentals that Adlib composed over the years and initially released on CD-R (the later digital-only version is slightly inferior). It remains the clearest demonstration of the talent of one of the California underground’s essential beatmakers, free from the unnecessary collaborations that clutter some of his other work.
Released shortly afterward, this album also corrects the shortcomings of Lab Waste’s Zwarte Achtegrond. On that record, recorded as a duo with Subtitle, Thavius Beck indulges his experimental impulses, yet paradoxically the tracks feel predictable and lacking in surprise. Drenched in darkness, this robotic hip-hop piles on effects for the sake of sounding unusual, embracing eccentricity simply to be eccentric.
International Beats certainly inhabits a similar sonic landscape. It is unmistakably Adlib: dark, grimy, and deeply electronic. But here, it’s no longer just an occasional standout like “Dope Beat” or “Get The Signal.” The entire record feels more personal, more instinctive, and more naturally musical. Only a few tracks – such as the eleventh, or the closing piece with its heavy-handed approach – prove disappointing.
Elsewhere, the chief “manipulator” comes remarkably close to perfection: the luminous piano of the second track, the melancholy guitar and vocals layered over a drum ‘n’ bass backdrop on the sixth, the hallucinatory electronics of the seventh, the abrasive rock textures of the ninth, and the updated Kraftwerk-inspired sound of the twelfth. Then there’s the undeniable highlight: a magnificent fourth track where an unflinching electronic instrumental plays hide-and-seek with gothic choirs and a trembling yet radiant trumpet. Brilliant.
