Oakland’s men of the moment throw up another nebular selection, with assistance from anticon. associate Jel.

In the avalanche of coverage devoted to the burgeoning ‘cloud rap’ movement, there’s been surprisingly little reference to the influence of the anticon. stable. The aesthetic tendencies of artists like cLOUDEAD – navel-gazing excursions into the abstract, delivered with a heavy whiff of dopamine – have become badges of honour for the new breed. On their new four-track, Main Attrakionz repay the debt: as well as cribbing cLOUDDEAD’s distinctive typography, they’ve enlisted anticon. mainman Jel to help out on production.

The Jel tracks, ‘Chap 3’ and ‘So Whut’ are more tangled and less playful than your typical MA instrumental. The two Zachg beats offer drifter fare – although ‘Take Her Shoppin’ veers dangerously close to something from that Jay-Z/Linkin Park record. Particularly compared to Squadda B’s recent Back $elling Crack tape, it’s an unusually focused release from the industrious young duo.

cLOUDLIFE is currently streaming over at Spin. The EP will be available to download via Rad Reef on Friday.