Hip Hop

Thijsenterprise - Stepbacks & Setbacks

Barcelona-based beatmaker Thijsenterprise drops mammoth beat tape, Stepbacks & Setbacks, dedicated to some important people in his life. “Old school hip-hop with soul and jazz samples, dusty breaks and raw chops.” With a description like that, I just had to listen when this dropped in my inbox. Thijsenterprise (real name Reinier Thijs) is a producer from …

Thijsenterprise - Stepbacks & Setbacks

Thijsenterprise - Stepbacks & Setbacks

Barcelona-based beatmaker Thijsenterprise drops mammoth beat tape, Stepbacks & Setbacks, dedicated to some important people in his life.

“Old school hip-hop with soul and jazz samples, dusty breaks and raw chops.” With a description like that, I just had to listen when this dropped in my inbox. Thijsenterprise (real name Reinier Thijs) is a producer from Barcelona and Stepbacks & Setbacks is his latest project. 42 tracks may seem like a lot but fans of Dilla and Madlib should be used to this type of quantity. Fortunately, the quality hasn’t been hampered as the beat tape is split over two virtual sides: Side A is “inspired by the city and dedicated to Dilla’s Donuts“, while Side B relates to personal issues: “cheating, heartbreak and solitude”.

The spirit of Donuts lives through Side A. The tracks are short, choppy, and heavy on soul and audible dust. From a tribute, the album becomes what Thijsenterprise calls a “devastating breakup record”. You can hear the heartbreak on tracks like “I Miss Her” and “A Loser”; sombre and heavy-hearted. The two sides may have distinct themes but a sense of loss pervades both. Either way, soul is the number one compontent and its in abundance here.

Stream it below.

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