Two of the most consistent names in German underground hip-hop on one track. "Soulmusik" is the first single off Argus, the upcoming collaborative album between Lakmann and Morlockko Plus, and it delivers exactly what the title promises.
Lakmann, born Evangelos Polichronidis in Witten, has been a fixture in the German rap scene since 2000. His group Creutzfeld & Jakob broke through with "Gottes Werk und Creutzfelds Beitrag," a debut that moved 45,000 copies and featured Kool Savas. The group became the first rap act to sign with Universal Music Germany in 2003. Lakmann's influences read like a boom bap syllabus: Public Enemy, EPMD, KRS-One, Rakim, Defari. His values are old school in the truest sense. Craft, authenticity, skill. He has never chased trends and "Soulmusik" is no exception.
Morlockko Plus is the production alias of Leipzig MC and rapper Morlockk Dilemma, one of the most respected voices in the history of German rap. A Bayerischer Rundfunk analysis of vocabulary size placed him first among all German rappers. His production draws from sample sources between 1965 and 1985, the same dusty crate-digging philosophy that runs through boom bap on both sides of the Atlantic. The beats are dark, deliberate and purposeful. His collaborative catalog runs deep: Hiob, Brenk Sinatra, Audio88, Milano Constantine. Every project on his own terms, every time.
The division of labor on Argus is clean: Lakmann writes, Morlockko Plus produces."Soulmusik" is built on the same foundation both artists have always stood on: substance over surface, legacy over algorithm, feel over formula. Echter Rap aus Deutschland.
Vinyl editions, tapes and merch drop July 9 at 17:00 on kapitalismus-jetzt.com. Newsletter subscribers get early bird access at 13:00.
Stream: Soulmusik jetzt streamen
