Ellington

Scott Herrin, a former Atlanta native known as Prefuse 73, changed the face of underground music in 2001 by unleashing the groundbreaking glitch-hop release "Vocal Studies and Uprock Narratives." Combining cut and pasted beat fragments, old school R&B samples and underground MC's throwing out tight rhymes, P73 crossed the indie, electronica and hip-hop genres on this and 2003s "One Word Extinguisher." The trend continues on "Surrounded by Silence," as Herrin claims: "this is a collection of collaborations between those I respect musically and those who I share personal friendships with." Guest musicians include El-P, Wu-Tang members Ghostface Killah, GZA and Masta Killa, as well as Aesop Rock, Tyondai Braxton, Cafe Tacuba, Beans, Broadcast, the Books, DJ Nobody and Blonde Redhead guitarist Kazu Makino. P73 has dropped another masterpiece. -- Alex Slawson and Herman Snell