When he isn’t floating on the astral plane he makes his own music that is unquestionably different from that of the Travellers. In the seven-plus-member group his contributions compliment the band's overall sound. When he’s left to his own devices he creates beats that are dark and crunchy, coupled with complex lyrics.

the samples sound as if they were churned through a grubby twenty-year-old sampler (I suspect that this is the case). Consequently, the grittiness of the sound and atmosphere of the instrumental reminds me of RZA’s signature sludge from the Wu-Tang Clan’s heyday. This in palpable in tracks like Therapy where a floaty flute sample, vocal snippets and dusty drums provide the foundation for Ali’s dynamic flow.

Blind is another song with a gloomy instrumental, consisting of plucked strings and a languid vocal melody. Ali spits at a furious pace, giving way to what sounds like a snippet of movie dialogue (...ala 36 Chambers). In lieu of kung-fu wisdom the dialogue sounds as if it was plucked from a depressing Bollywood film.

The track One has some similarly dour vibes, a mournful string sample providing the basis of the song. The distinct mood of the EP is one that Ali has refined since his last release, suiting his vocal stylings. I find myself listening back to his rhymes again and again as they’re quite dense and hard to wrap your head around initially. His flow has the same intriguing quality of the emcees and groups I enjoy most, such as MF Doom, Company Flow, Dr. Octagon and other leftfield practitioners.

When he is making music, Ali apparently enjoys making mango pickle too. I presume this is where this album gets his namesake. Like mango pickle, this album packs a punch, has longevity and flavour for months.

-Hill Folk.