Pan Amsterdam | Ha Chu

By Greg Seremba, and Polina Pekurovsky Contributors

Greg

Released back in October, this ambient, heavily lyrical marathon of an EP brings Pan Amsterdam back to the forefront. Coming off an Iggy Pop tour in which PA was the lead trumpeter- he’s been able to tap into his bandmates and even Iggy himself to collaborate on the project. This subcut of hip-hop isn’t for everyone, especially those expecting a drill-inspired heavy bass. However, Pan Amsterdam continues to breathe a fresh mixture of experimentation that the New York scene can thrive off of.

Polina

Pan Amsterdam’s Ha Chu is a wild, jazzy experience. There’s something really comforting about a track that’s just the sounds of people talking and drinking tea. The lyrics can be viewed as purely comedic, but if you listen closer they’re filled with intent and meaning. “I love duck. Everytime I go to any place I wanna try out the duck first” for example, is the shining star lyric of the track “I Love Duck.” And it’s true. If the album was filled with only tracks like “I Love Duck” and “Tea, of Course, with Iggy Pop,” I would be struggling to enjoy it, but mix these solely lyrical tracks with the upbeat “Carrot Cake” and “Upbeat Dom,” and you get a stellar hip-hop album that is equally entertaining as it is skillful.