In a time when many American artists are deathly afraid of anything new, they try to classify all hip-hop into a few limited genres. Ever anti-establishment, hip-hop continues to defy "authority" by maintaining an innovative, forward looking outlook even in the face of monolithic record label control. While artists like Common, Mos Def, Talib Kweli and Pharoahe Monch hold the States down, many international artists and record labels maintain their fierce independence and release less mainstream artists.

Ninja Tune has made (legitimate?) claims to be the best record label in the world. If not the best, they are definitely one of the most consistent. With releases as strong as the Herbaliser, Amon Tobin and Coldcut, Ninja Tune and it's subsidiaries remain experimental and fresh (in many senses of the term.) Big Dada, the subsidiary with the closest thing to "conventional" hip-hop you'll find here, last year released the phenomenal Brand New Second Hand by Roots Manuva. This year brings the New Flesh For Old project, Equilibrium.

This album is not for everyone. In departing from just about every formula hip-hop has ever seen, Part 2, Toastie Taylor, Juice Aleem and the rest of the New Flesh crew have ensured that they will never be mistaken for the mainstream. This also means that many of the lemmings who can only appreciate something "just because it's played on the radio 20 times per day"(1) will be utterly mystified by this album.

All tracks here are programmed, produced and arranged by Part 2. He has done some intricately creative things with the beats. They range from the old school sounding album intro "00.00.00" to things that are just different, like "Mutatis." The beats are definitely the dominant element on this album, despite excellent lyrical performances.

The lyrics of this project are handled by a number of talented emcees. Toastie Taylor and his unique voice and delivery (if you must have a comparison, imagine a cross between a British RA the Rugged Man and Mad Lion) appear the most often, but Juice Aleem and Robotic E.B.U. appear regularly. In addition, there are guests such as Crack Monkey, Jerusalem and Out Of Order who add their unique bits to the project. Toastie's delivery isn't for everyone though. He switches effortlessly between a "standard" delivery as it were, and a patios inflected dancehall delivery among others.

There are a number of standout tracks here, from the steady plodding of "Invisible Ink," to the haunting, prayer-like "Adoration of Kings." "Eye of The Hurricane" has a reggae influenced beat as do several other tracks such as "186000 Miles." Other tracks such as "Mutatis" and "Ego Evident" sound like they were influenced by early RZA production with dirty samples that seem almost unrelated at times. "Quantum Mechanix" is an instrumental track, giving turntablist Paul Weston a chance to shine over some live drum breaks. "3 Minutes Less" and "Isoteleportation" are much more minimalist sounding pieces. To close, "Thetawaves" sees Toastie and Jerusalem ride a timpani dominated rhythm to dopeness.

Ironically, it may be easier for Canadian heads to appreciate this album. We seem to have a stronger reggae scene, and reggae influences are better recieved as is non-conformist hip-hop. This is a strong album that many will miss due to ignorance. Many more will not understand because of the distance from conventional hip-hop. Still, for those who appreciate new and different forms, Equilibrium will be an excellent balancing element to all of the follow-fashion music out there.