Watch 10th Letter's 'Song of Asterite'

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? 10th Letter, aka Jeremi Johnson, describes Portals & Compasses as a sort of "choose your own adventure" novel, creating an "audible voyage that explores the ties between jazz, hip hop, ghetto tech, psych, early electronic music, and the glue that binds them."
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? That conceptual grandiosity might miss the mark with other like-minded producers, but here, Johnson issues 13 tracks that jump from idea to idea with unencumbered grace and refreshing agility. With support from Atlanta multi-instrumentalist Saira Raza and fellow Harsh Riddims alumni Drew Briggs (aka Divine Interface), Johnson seamlessly cycles through extended, psychedelic segues that sway with the internal bodyclock of IDM, the sedate, futuristic swagger of Flying Lotus, and the alien bombast of Black Dice or Sculpture. 
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? The video for album centerpiece "Song Of The Asterite" (streaming above) perfectly encapsulates the surreal schizophrenic nature of the album, reveling in a postmodern murk of warped charm. Distant chimes, strings, and intoxicating low-ends pulse through the dance floor, creating a throbbing din of sounds without context. All of this aural hysteria plays out while archival found footage intermixes with action sequences from a Sega Genesis classic from the early '90s. As Johnson explains, "If Portals and Compasses was the soundtrack to a movie about portal hopping, then this song would be like jumping out of a portal into an aquatic world (that's just one of my takes on it). The Asterite is actually a character from the Sega game Ecco the Dolphin. With this video I wanted to give a nod to all the influences and also to the best of my ability, show this imaginary water planet and what the creatures might look like. 
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? 10th Letter, Haunted (Phil of Dog Bite), and Skull Buddha (Eric & Gage of deadCAT) play Portals & Compasses' release show tonight. Free/donations. 9 p.m. 529, 529 Flat Shoals Ave. SE. 404-228-6769. www.529atlanta.com.