7 – Babyfather – BBF Hosted By DJ Escrow (Hyperdub)
The bleak urban shadows of BBF could be overwhelming: drug dealers, police sirens, relationship breakdowns. “Trust is a luxury I can’t afford.” Oof. This is possibly the most 2016-sounding album amid our terrifying new reality of the far right, Trump, and Bake Off moving to Channel 4.
Thankfully, the execution here is excellent. It’s recorded like a pirate radio station, and is presented by DJ Escrow, a presumably fictional MC with a funny line in chatter and plenty of problems to bang on about. It has the best line about Wiley that’s not on a Wiley record.
The genius behind Babyfather seems to be Dean Blunt, the trickster who this year tried to sell cheese-filled toy cars on Ebay. It wasn’t cheese. The clue’s in his name. Whatever he’s been toking, this Union Flag-emblazoned joint is as disorienting and rewarding as they come.
Scroll all of the best 2016 electronic albums by clicking here.