Diva Cup - X Minus One

Diva Cup is one of the newer entities to surface from the Wigflip-related circle of jaded electronics here in Baltimore. A few weeks ago Sam, aka Diva Cup, sent me over a thirteen track full length called X Minus One.

The majority of this album is spent off in space, where you are blasted off to in opening track "Bmore". Up there, time is spent in array of instances and influences that are chopped together into blissful chunks of audio. Influences are varied, but friends of Sam's like Run DMT and Happy Family are blatantly evident. Instances throughout X Minus One seem more far and wide, with samples ranging from Muhammad Ali to Kermit the Frog.



Streaming above is "Magikarpet", a vibey and up-paced track towards the end of the release that's drenched in electronic exuberance. Below, download the full album for free.

Download Link: Diva Cup - X Minus One

The album is thirty lively minutes of sample-based beats and songs, that is "meant to be shared with all the living creatures of the enchanted forest". All forest dwellers will be able to scoop up the album this summer via Wigflip Records.

Sam also occasionally contributes to Happy Family, Will Pesta's amazing project that should see it's first proper full length released this year. Influences play a major role in this Diva Cup release. The tenth track is dubbed "Happy Family", sampling "Running in the Fields" which was the second track on Happy Family's 2009 Sound Farm EP. Run DMT's "Ramona" is also the base of "Ramona Ali", where Muhammad Ali's words are sprinkled over top the new incarnation.

This is an album that represents a culture that is consistently connected to media - where Youtube videos run rampant with avant beats and melodic journeys. It is the uplifting and positive side to these factors that are what's addressed throughout X Minus One, leaving the downside back on earth.