Travel At Your Own Pace

We Say...

Review by Hua Hsu

There’s nothing remotely glamorous about the regrettably named Y Society. As the album title suggests, the duo of Boston-based MC/producer Insight (formerly of Electric and longtime confidante of Mr. Lif and Edan) and D.C. DJ/producer Damu (of the group Panacea) are content staying in the slowest possible lane toward fame. But their commitment to a vision of 1997-style low-budget hip-hop suits them perfectly: Travel is an excellent, no-frills album built on a charming, He’s-the-DJ-and-I’m-the-MC division of labor and a sound best described as “purist.”

Damu’s beats rely on a tried-and-true formula of stiff drums, demure, textured jazz samples and scratched hooks, while Insight comes across as an impassioned but seldom preachy host. “This Advice” teeters along on a lovely guitar loop, as Insight waxes poetic about hip-hop’s capacity for raising the kids and cementing a generation. “Puzzles” is another standout, a frantic, tail-chasing piano sample echoing Insight’s frustrations, while “Never Off (On & On)” is a gorgeously woozy anthem of by-your-bootstraps self-help. (An excellent remix of “Never Off” by Insight himself closes the album.)

Throughout, Travel is imbued with a modest reverence for hip-hop itself. The brisk, roller disco-paced “At My Own Pace” is a joyful celebration of the form, especially its capacity for humor. The pair pause the proceedings a couple minutes in and discuss how the album is shaping up, with Insight observing, “Toward the ending…people don’t really want to hear rhymes-rhymes-rhymes…” before Damu props him back up: “Nah man, you’ve been killing it the whole album!” It’s a rare moment of braggadocio, but one that’s well-deserved.