Cleaver, Gerald + Brandon Lopez, Hprizm

***In The Wilderness opens with textured drums, a muted bass, celestial sound, like stars breaking into puddles. Confident engineering and gentle instrumentation invite the audience to wander into the unknown. The project draws from an experimental performance by drummer Gerald Cleaver and bassist Brandon Lopez, at 577 Records’ Forward Festival, which was later deconstructed and rebuilt by hip-hop producer Hprizm of the Antipop Consortium. All three musicians were involved in visioning the project’s many stages, lending itself to an easy give-and-take between the artists, despite its improvisational, temporally disconnected structure. This is Hprizm’s second record (following Signs Remixed) on 577’s sub-label, Positive Elevation, which is dedicated to electronic experimentation and avant soul.