Herren departed from the style of full-lengths Vocal Studies and One Word Extinguisher (2003) on Surrounded by Silence (2005), which was a move toward the mainstream with MCs such as Ghostface Killah gracing scaled-back tracks. Security Screenings (2006) followed as a sluggish, downtempo affair.
Preparations returns Herren to his strengths, utilizing generally simple, NYC boom-bap drum patterns that are laced with vocal and string samples. The samples often are chopped and reassembled, though not to the frenetic extent of past Prefuse 73 discs.
Preparations, though similar in nature, provides more breathing room than Vocal Studies and One Word Extinguisher did. The album is not a constant chop-up frenzy. It comes closer to those earlier releases (especially on tracks like “I Knew You Were Gonna Go,” which could perfectly fit on Herren’s The 92 vs. 02 Collection EP), but brings a denseness that was never present on prior Prefuse 73 works.
Strings and horns drift in and out of the mix, allowed to run whole, and provide a stable hook on which the shambling beats and stuttering synthesizers may hang. The melodies are often closer to his lighter work as Savath and Savalas, though the beats are pure Prefuse 73.
Interregnums, the bonus disc that comes with the physical purchase of Preparations, consists of neo-classical material recorded by Herren to be used as his own sample fodder. It’s devoid of any established Prefuse 73 sounds, and its inclusion — adding fifteen songs to fourteen from the album proper — makes Preparations much to digest.
– Patrick Hajduch
Prefuse 73: www.prefuse73.com
Warp Records: www.warprecords.com