Don Da None

In the first of a new series of articles under the name ‘ascension’, we would like to present to you a couple of tracks from a French Hip-Hop artist that came our attention this week. Don Da None’s début EP ‘Nébuleuse(s)’ has just been released and is available for download here

, the Caen-born lyricist and producer weaves introspective flows on-top of well sampled, down-tempo beats. Tracks such as ‘Les Démons Sont Éternels’ start simply but elegantly layer without ever threatening to outweigh the beat to lyric balance, evoking a sense of what Air might have offered if producing for MC Solaar.

The glorious sound of a record crackling is always a good sign that the artist in question is very much in tune with the art of Hip-hop sampling and the soulful keys that outline the infections ‘Insomnie’ are a great example of minimalist beat-making at its very best. Don Da None creates a sound which invokes memories of A Tribe Called Quest’s ‘ The Low End Theory’ and Guru’s ‘Jazzmataz Vol.1′ and in all honesty, its a sound we don’t hear often enough these days.

The man who was previously MC for Conneticut and Tritron has very much found his stride with this brand of lyrical poeticism, set to laid back, Jazz and Soul laden Hip-Hop and delivered in a smooth Basse-Normandie style. Don Da None is one to watch out for, that’s for sure.