CLUTCHY HOPKINS : WALKING BACKWARDS (CD/ DVD x LP)
"What we do know about him, and it's the most important thing, is that this music is F-U-N-K-Y...The rawest, grittiest, skin-slapping this side of The Meters..."
- Okayplayer
"If I were an emcee, I would want Clutchy on my squad. Much like MF Doom he has the unique ability to make the inanimate articulate, as if his instruments could speak. Not only is Clutchy 'next up', but he's also on some next shit."
- Thick Magaine
"Is Hopkins a creation of this label's in-house roster of acts or a mysterious master of the groove arts? In the end, who cares? The 12 tracks here are slick, slow funkin' instrumentals (mostly) that will bring smiles to baristas faces everywhere that it gets spun."
- The Province (Canada)
"Slow-burning arrangements smolder with exotic instrumentation and ear-bendingly effective playing..."
- OC Weekly
"Forged of modern soul, downtempo, hip-hop, blues and electronica, this is one pimp-ass record of atmospheric beat music that throbs with mood, mystery and humor. Add in a clever, hilariously crafted persona that makes truth and fiction impossible to separate as a mascot and you’ve got a winner."
- Orlando Weekly
"There's a spare, spacious approach here that almost reminds us of the energy that we first felt in DJ Shadow's groundbreaking work of a decade before -- a similar love of gritty, organic source material -- and an ear for putting it together with lots of dark twists and turns that balance nicely between classic funk and current hip hop production sensibilities. The flavor of each tune changes nicely -- making the album way more than just a clichéd collection of beats..."
- Dustygroove
"Walking Backwards' dense, drifting instrumentals were built on dry snare thwacks, woodwinds and gloomy, dim-lounge organs...Hopkins is a creepy one. Whoever he is."
- Remix
"The disc is chock full of slick jazz/funk fusion hip-hop beats that plays out like a soundtrack to the life of the Clutchster himself...Walking Backwards is nice change of pace from the norm as far as instrumental discs goes, with many using more samples and synthesizers than actual live instrumentation, with Hopkins apparently manning nearly all of the instrumentation. As a result, Clutchy proves that he's hipper than your average bum off the street, and he can play a mean flute...and drums, and organ, and harp..."
- URB
"The beats are so sticky-icky the record should come complete with rolling papers. 'Love Of A Woman' wins 'Best Song To Make Babies To' in 2008."
- Slug Magazine
CLUTCHY HOPKINS / RED BULL MUSIC ACADEMY RADIO / HEADPHONE HIGHLIGHTS MIX / CLICK IMAGE TO LISTEN:
VIDEO: CLUTCHY HOPKINS TESTIMONIALS / CLICK IMAGE TO WATCH:
VIDEO: THE SEARCH FOR CLUTCHY HOPKINS - HOUSTON, TEXAS/ CLICK IMAGE TO WATCH:
VIDEO: SHAWN LEE / CLUTCHY HOPKINS TESTIMONIAL / CLICK IMAGE TO WATCH:
Don’t ask us who Clutchy Hopkins is; we don’t know. There’s a line of people waiting to learn his whereabouts. If you find out, perhaps you will be kind enough to hand over the contact info for the mysterious trickster, folklore guru, and marvelous musician. We don’t have any of the usual stuff: no insight into his background, no list of influences or interesting anecdotes about his musical upbringing.
We can tell you that this album might as well be the crackly soundtrack to a vintage spaghetti western crossed with a 70s porno. Rickety breaks n’beats and busted keyboard sounds pop out against lush strings, while a collection of guitars and mandolins strum alongside old-school synthesizers. Some tunes are hypnotic and build around a droning rumble or relentless chords while others are driving or change up to reveal new intentions. It’s an eerie blend of dusty-bar blues, mariachi soul and hard times funk that sounds like it was recorded in a backyard shack somewhere remote, in a small town where kids throw stones at each other for fun.
Prior to our release, an album called ‘Who is Clutchy Hopkins’ was made available in short supply. A further CD surfaced, featuring an apparent collaboration between Hopkins and MF Doom. On closer inspection, this was a collection of rare Doom joints backed with new Hopkins’ music.
Since we made our intentions known to distribute more Hopkins material, we’ve been contacted by people who claim to have known, spotted, slept with, smoked, or gone through life-changing events with him. To these people, we apologize. We can’t help put you in touch. We’re just as in the dark as you. We hope you like the album. Keep an eye on Ubiquity's YouTube Channel for Clutchy sightings, movies and interviews.
The second disc of this 2 CD set will include taped confessionals, interviews and archived footage of Mr Hopkins, collected from various sources and anonymously mailed packages. |
