Towkio- .WAV THEORY (REVIEW)

Written by: Kez The Dude 

Today Twitter has been buzzing for two huge reasons. To start Baltimore has been peacefully protesting, rioting, cleaning its streets, and dancing to MJ’s “Beat it” all in response to the tragic death of Freddie Gray. The other huge reason is because today Towkio has dropped his debut album .WAV THEORY. Despite how different the tone of Towkio’s media is compared to the pieces of sound and image coming out of Baltimore both subjects are severely relevant. Most of the reviews or coverage i have seen from other major publication networks like Pitchfork or Stereogum have failed to go in depth in analyzing and contextualizing this body of work. Therefore, I will do my best to accomplish both tasks.

The .WAV THEORY = 

The brain controls the heart, the mind controls the brain, the sun controls the moon, the moon controls the waves, our thoughts can shake the earth, and love can do the same, the earth controls the moon therefore we control the waves.

This theory can be deduced from the 2 minute intro which features natural textures, white noise, heart monitor flat-lining, beautiful swelling and an acute application of silence. An intro with content and vibes like this are empowering. Amidst the lack of control that most of us feel over our lives Towkio offers us reassurance. It is scientifically proven our thoughts when voiced and projected at high frequencies have the ability to send ripples into the earth. Towkio reminds us that through love and through music we have the ability to alter the physical universe. Music in 2015 is produced with the soul of a human and the technology that has afforded us computer programming. The art form reminds us that despite all the grotesque and unjust acts that humans commit, we still have the potential to emit beauty into the world. 

“I create, This my world it could end any day, body bags over face, things are fucked just like bapes.”

Sonically this album is ahead of its time. The production was handled by the likes of Mojek, Lido, Walking Shoes, The Social Experiment, Two Fresh and Towkio himself. The album flows from its intro into “Clean Up” featuring Chance The Rapper. The energy within this song is like glittering bouncing of the vibrations of subwoofers. A similar style can be found in the track “Break You Off” which was touched by Mojek as well as Carter Lang. The track has a lot of soul not only in its instrumentation but its lyrical content. 

“Be cautious what you speak, those thoughts become tangible, a great mind thats caged could still turn you to an animal.”   

Towkio’s lyrics are continuously self-referential. Its clear that he wants to free minds, make art make sense, make music that makes you think and makes you feel. His goal was accomplished. Tracks like Reflection, Free Your Mind, and Involved all make me feel a groove that the early days of hip hop (Sugarhill Gang) possessed. Overall the diversity of music within this aural journey make this project a standout. If you feel that you need to escape the dark, mundane and conflicting state of your reality then delve into .WAV THEORY and open your mind to the positive possibilities of human creation.