Behold Vex Ruffin, an untrained punk musician with a knack for sampling. If Hip-Hop has a connection to No Wave, Vex Ruffin is the link. After 10 years of official releases for Stones Throw Records, Vex just released Emilio, and it’s the most uplifting music he’s ever given us.
Vex is known for intriguing lo-fi recordings that typically speak to isolation. But he keeps the vibe interesting with the right amount of humor. Two Vex songs I always return to are titled ‘I Told You Man, I Carry a Gun’ and ‘Prime of My Life.’ Seems like a fun guy, right?
Emilio album art - a warm group portrait unlike Vex’s previous DIY album covers.
Enter Emilio: a warm and breezy trip inspired by Vex’s Filipino roots. Our man is clearly in a good mood this time around, and he invites us to join him from the jump. Emilio’s lead single ‘Do It Right’ samples the rhythm section of Masayoshi Takanaka’s 1982 track ‘An Insatiable High’. It’s an incredible flip and a nod to Vex’s love for hip-hop’s sampling culture.
“Don’t forget the powers of the mind / Know your self-worth / You can do it,” Vex sings. Vex has toyed with self-esteem building lyrics before, but this time he really means it. Emilio trades downer anthems for sincere declarations. Here, confident mantras meet tropical rhythms to inspire wellness.
‘Zone Up’ is an outlier production-wise and most closely resembles Vex’s original form. It’s a minimal boom bap beat that sounds straight outta the basement. Vex thrives in this zone. On an older Vex Ruffin record he might’ve named this track ‘Zone Out.’ Instead, ‘Zone Up’ delivers purposeful bars about leveling up your energy when negativity starts creeping in.
It’s not entirely clear what’s sparked Vex’s newfound optimism, but he couldn’t have picked a better time to surprise us. The world needs positive vibrations right now. If you find yourself trippin’ in pandemic-related isolation, look no further than this EP. Emilio can be your escape to brighter days.