Dealers of God are an Australian Hip-Hop group that essentially defy standard categorisation (despite my efforts). If I were to attempt to describe their previous works it'd basically be like perfectly synthesised, surreal, hypnagogia through hip hop. They sample plenty of other music and their lyrics work off of dream logic but with a focus placed on dealing and consuming drugs. Their music exists in a perfect haze of intentional stupidity and musical genius at the same time.
Their third, and in my opinion, greatest album is Flesh Bill Clinton Humanoid Skeleton. Released on 9/11 of 2024, the album's lyrics tackle conspiracies revolving around Bill Clinton. The group's bandcamp page for example claims by listening to the album, a grand conspiracy passed on through shady cabals will be revealed. By the end of the album I was left none the wiser as to what Bill Clinton did or what's going on. Or how they got Roger Eno on this.
This album, if I were to compare it to anything, would be a sort of messed up, Australian version of Soundtracks For The Blind by Swans. Heavily electic, bizzare unfulfilled concept, completely experimental and lots of sound collages. Don Salsa and Lil B's Rain in England also come to mind
Like all good hiphop albums, the intro to Flesh Bill Clinton's opening track starts with a little foray into black metal. This is interrupted by an announcer welcoming the group, someone shouts out "the fucking transit system" then the track turns into a Michael Bay movie trailer for the band before turning into a minimalistic IDM track that makes use of random samples to string together sentences, a documentary clip on drugs dealers and what they do. Then we hear a field recording clip of the group walking around somewhere with the memorable quote "Y'know, I remember Bill Clinton". This is all in a 4 minute track, which is credited to Bill Clinton and is on the front of his official Spotify page. We then segue into the Neo-Psyche Krautrap track "The Green Ketamine" which is most similar to the groups previous works. The group has dubbed this style of music as "ambient crunk".
Next is the 38 minute epic "Alien Shaft" which shamelessly samples Pink Floyd's famously long Echos. Their first work "Visions of Fuel" was notable for its excellent use of samples to create new and exciting music in its own right, whereas the following "Dealer's Choice" was more focused on furthering the group's ambient crunk style, basically being a massive, dreamlike haze. Alien Shaft takes both these elements to their ultimate limits. It's like the Finnegans Wake of ambient crunk.
Alien Shaft is for you, the reader, to experience yourself without spoilers and that goes for the rest of the album honestly. I could go through my own amateur musicological breakdown of every track but that'd just ruin the fun. Although I must spoil that there's a section that's literally a random bad quality recording of a foreign ad with royalty free music in the background, probably the most bold part of the album. I know this is stupid to say but that blew my mind.
In a world of 40 year old rappers taking up space and noise pollution drain gang wannabes, Dealers of God stand out as a one of a kind hip-hop project and Flesh Bill Clinton Humanoid Skeleton is the ultimate release by them. If "Post-rap" ever becomes a real genre this would be a go-to example of it
Give the track "Humanoid Skeleton" a go because that's a masterpiece. It makes me almost cry but still manages to be really funny. Give the whole album a go, I mean SURELY something I've described has piqued your interest.
I'll link a really good interview the group gave here from Los Junk Dealers. They're legit, look them up, on Google
10/10
See also: p.rosa, Johnathan Citizen, Celestaphone, The Crooked Yet Fabulous Onion
Listen here: Spotify, Apple Music, SoundCloud, Bandcamp
- YonDivi
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