It’s hard to come by this record without the awkward feeling of familiarity when it comes to the artist’s name. Wugazi is a derivative of Fugazi with an addition of Wu-Tang Clan prefix at the head. To be honest I had never been the fan of either. I’ve heard a great deal of Fugazi and received many recommendations to give this legendary piece a listen, but it was only after Wugazi landed in my playlist that I realized what a treasure Fugazi is.

It is also fantastic that this 13 track endeavor was released online for free. I have been following the developments in the Minnesota’s own Doomtree collective for the last three years, and thus when I saw this record coming out from under the pen of Cecil Otter in collaboration with Swiss Andy, I jumped on the bandwagon of the latest Doomtree outing, and believe you me I was not in the lightest bit disappointed.

Sleep Rules Everything Around Me

When Andy and Cecil were interviewed on the subject of how this record came to be, and what was the process, this is what Andy had to say: “We listened to each Fugazi record, taking notes of different breaks, guitars, and bass lines. Then we would chop one to make a loop and start running acapellas over them.” Anyone, who has listened to one band and / or the other, knows that it’s no easy task to mash the two, therefore the overall result is nothing but outstanding.

There is hardly anything new that one will find on 13 Chambers. Neither the loops nor the rhymes are groundbreaking, as both were used by the Fu and Wu legends. But the mixing and producing is so eclectic and so elaborately crafted that it begs you to come back for more. If one is a fan of either band, this record is going to appeal, but it can be something that Fugazi and Wu-Tang Clan virgins can dig just as much, in fact it may create the appetite for one or both collectives, as it has done for me.

—Serghei B.