06/13/2020
“Digging for records in the dollar bin is a rite of passage for any skilled producer; mining castoffs and overlooked gems for seconds of sound can yield fascinating results, but only if you know where to look. Enter Boston producer gyroman and his new album Dollar Crates—across 11 short tracks, gyroman chops and loops dusted discards to create a record as diverse as its namesake. Case in point is opener “Bogo II”: on the first two-thirds of the track, he loops sultry vocals over muted drums, deftly arranged guitar samples, and the sound of washing waves. Then, he loops rollicking ragtime piano to close. Throughout, he also flips fragments of soul music to remarkably different ends. “PO-32” is murky and dark, while the concussive and sonically-shifting “Got 2 Be” is a more upbeat, head-nodding affair. The bed of pitched vocals on “Seems Like” becomes an excellent score for Boston rapper Kadeem’s introspective and incisive lyrics. Whether he’s using soul or classical strings (“Lamb Gyro”), gyroman carries on tradition well.” - Max Bell
