Turntable legend Rob Swift tightropes between genres on his first solo offering in seven years, The Architect. The record sounds like the hip-hop tinged soundtrack to a Humphrey Bogart detective flick. Dramatic horns and strings provide the cliffhangers that are deftly picked up by furious drums and scratches. Over the course of the 34 minute record, Swift ambitiously takes aim at the unlikely pairing of hip-hop and classical music. While it’s not a genre-fusion-nightmare a la Limp Bizkit, the marriage of hip-hop and classical music isn’t exactly made in heaven. Whenever a track appears ready to take off behind expert scratches, the classical aesthetic grinds the momentum to a halt. “Rabia – 2nd Movement” is one of few tracks where the juxtaposition succeeds. Swift’s cuts are masterful; the beats themselves are somewhat dull.

Brooklyn emcee Breez Evahflowin provides the album’s only guest vocals on “Principo” and “Ultimo.” The intended bookmark affect of his raps feels out of place on an album driven by cinematic arrangements and turntable artistry. The two tracks, however, boast the most impressive beats on The Architect. Unfortunately Breez’s brief, mailed-in flows are intro-filler material at best and the album would have come across with greater fluidity were the vocals left out entirely.

Hailing from the iconic DJ crew the The X-Ecutioners, Rob Swift is a seasoned veteran in the art of  beat juggling. He and the X-Men have been paramount in the turntable coming to be regarded as an instrument all its own. Beyond the highs and lows of Swift’s eerie orchestra, the star of the show on The Architect is clearly turntablism. Swift’s scratches on “Lower Level – 2nd Movement” and “Spartacus” illuminate his golden era roots and are the high points of the endeavor. While the beats often fall flat, the precise and varied cuts rescue the record from mediocrity.

Song you’ll remember in five years: “Spartacus”

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