Twin brothers Taiwo and Kehinde Hassan, aka production duo Christian Rich, placed their first beat on Lil' Kim's 2003 album, La Bella Mafia. Seven years later, mentor Pharrell Williams appeared on The Decadence, a nimble set of club bangers designed to introduce Christian Rich to a bigger audience. Along the way, they've crafted beats for Childish Gambino on Because the Internet’s "Crawl", and for J. Cole, on Born Sinner’s "Sparks Will Fly"; in 2013, Christian Rich landed four tracks on Earl Sweatshirt’s breakout Doris, and most recently, the duo composed "Señorita", the menacing lead single from Vince Staples’ exceptional Summertime '06. On the surface, their production work hasn't been particularly groundbreaking, and their debut album, FW14, doesn’t make an immediate impact. But midway through the record, near the end of the JMSN-featured "Fast Life", a bright flurry of drums move FW14 from mostly contemporary fare to an international sound closer to their Nigerian roots. It's another subtle shift for a group that's built a strong career on understated creative turns.
The album is loosely conceptual, with references to traveling through space and time and a premise derived from sci-fi novelist Philip K. Dick’s VALIS trilogy and We Can Remember It For You Wholesale, and director Christopher Nolan’s 2014 film, Interstellar. Musically, FW14 brings to mind The Love Below, the André 3000-led second disc of OutKast's award-winning LP. The pace and influences are similar, and both albums take their time reaching their destination. It drifts comfortably through the cosmos, and a song like "FACE" benefits from a wafting ambience.
The album thrives on a technical prowess that grows more refined over its length. FW14 features several collaborators whose names might be more recognizable than the group's, even if they've spent several years crafting hits for Top 40 radio talent. But on FW14, and working with Vince Staples and singers Jack Davey and Niia, the group chops their vocals and re-filters them through the arrangements, keeping the producers at the forefront.
The music centers on glossy EDM grooves while mixing in jazz, global dance, and '70s funk. Thematically, FW14 feels like a romantic jaunt through the universe, following the ups and downs of a couple with common relationship struggles. Through songs like "Real Love"—a nostalgic R&B number featuring vocalist Angela McCluskey—and the GoldLink-assisted "Compromise", there’s a prevailing intimacy in the album’s second half. The aforementioned "FACE" delves into unconditional commitment: "Let’s go half in life," goes a line from the track. "I don’t need so many things to myself." FW14 has a gentle touch that grows more intoxicating with each listen, an album that moves calmly without much commotion, gradually taking shape.
