100 Lbs. album cover
100 Lbs.

Herbert

1996
Phono

Looking back, it’s clear that the material on Herbert’s 100 Lbs. – an album that selected from its preceding series of 12" singles, Parts 1-4, and added a few new cuts – was a moment where Herbert was clearing the decks. He’d moved away from the more overtly playful, eccentric material he was known for, particularly under the Wishmountain alias, and was digging into the possibilities of deep house. What makes 100 Lbs. work so well is the poetry of the production, the way Herbert somehow makes illicit clicks and tight cuts so physically compelling and musically enrapturing. He’s able to pull together a track from the tiniest movements and moments, add a whispered vocal sample over the top, and make minimalism feel lush and lithe; on “Thinking of You,” spaced-out, dubby house gets seriously nostalgic. Soon, he’d reach his imperial phase, on extraordinary albums like Around the House and Bodily Functions, but 100 Lbs. is a more than worthy precursor.

Jon Dale

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