Album Review: Ol' Burger Beats - 74: Out of Time (Reimagined)

I had the pleasure of reviewing Ol' Burger Beats's visionary LP 74: Out of Time a year ago in February of last year, and it wasn't anyone's surprise that it was one of my first choices for best albums of 2024.

Exactly one year later, we get to re-live the lush re-imagined experience of what the 17-track hip-hop behemoth represents. A reminder, the Norwegian beatmaker tasked himself with a specific task - to create at a consistent tempo, while paying homage to a specific era in the 70s (hence, the 74 number). 74: Out of Time (Reimagined) (purchase / stream everywhere) is here to add new flavour into our lives.

I can only imagine how hard it is to re-create and re-shape an original work, but if there's one thing I know about Ol' Burger Beats is that the dude is not running away from a challenge. For Reimagined, the beatmaker took 74: Out of Time's original vocals and embarked on a journey to weave together a whole new production in energy into each of them.

The first track that instantly got my attention was "Catch Your Breath", which is a new variation of the jazzy lullaby "Running" with Pink Siifu. Ole preserves the dreamy essence of the original while infusing it with a futuristic touch, setting the tone for the entire Reimagined experience. It's yet another testament to his unparalleled craftsmanship in blending vintage soul with forward-thinking production. “It was a fun challenge to revisit these songs. I’d like to think that I managed to give it a new feel while maintaining the spirit of the album, and of course, keeping the pace in step at 74 BPMs,” Ole elaborates.

Listen / buy

I'll admit - as someone who has listened to the original record back and forth, it still took me a moment to find my place on the Reimagined map because most tracks have new names. I guess, it kind of makes sense, given how different the new versions are. I do love the transformation of "Black Sabbath" (featuring billy woods and The God Fahim) into a compact, pocket-size jazz rap euphoria called "Slippery". Ol' Burger Beat took out the brass-driven uplifting jazz energy and swapped it for a rather more serious, nostalgic vibe, that feels right in this new era of 74: Out of Time he has created for us fans.

One of the album's crown jewels is "Sometimes" (formerly "Count Your Blessings" featuring lojii). Backed by dusty lo-fi production, the rapper’s vocals shine with impeccable clarity, effortlessly transporting you to an era over 40 years past. I'll admit - I haven't seen such experimentation done frequently, but it felt great re-exploring a record I fell in love with in the past. I think it speaks for the heights of Ole's desire to push himself and offer others multi-layered experience.

While the production has been refreshed, the tracks still showcase the same powerhouse lineup of forward-thinking rap innovators from the original version, including Fly Anakin, Pink Siifu, billy woods, Awon, Ill Camille, lojii, Gabe 'Nandez, Quelle Chris, YUNGMORPHEUS, and others.

For all of us, vinylheads, Reimagined comes with a limited vinyl run.

With its exclusive, limited release, Burger designed the vinyl to resemble a promo copy while adding custom touches like matte jackets, an OBI strip with liner notes by David Ma, and hand-numbered labels. Only 300 copies exist, including 150 in the special Viridian Marble edition.