A Sufi and a Killer

A Sufi and a Killer
Studio album by Gonjasufi
Released	March 8, 2010
Genre	Alternative hip hop Experimental Psychedelic rock Lo-fi
Length	58:49
Language	English
Label	Warp
Producer	The Gaslamp Killer, Flying Lotus, Mainframe

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	(78/100) [1]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]
BBC	favorable[3]
Clash	[4]
Drowned in Sound	[5]
The Guardian	[6]
Pitchfork Media	8.4/10[7]
PopMatters	[8]

A Sufi and a Killer is the debut album by Gonjasufi (Sumach Ecks). It was released by Warp on March 8, 2010.^[9] The album was produced by Flying Lotus, The Gaslamp Killer, and Mainframe.

Ecks said of the album: "I didn't want it to be too easy for the listener. I wanted it to hurt a little bit. I wanted it to get into a spot in the head that hasn't been hit".^[5] Of its title he said "The Sufi side of life has helped me with my killer side so I try not to attach myself to any label. There's a Sufi and a killer in everybody, man, and I'll be whatever I have to be just to make it through".^[10]

Reception

The album garnered much positive critical coverage on its release. Allmusic's Jason Lymangrover gave the album four stars out of five, describing it as "weird, ‘60s-rooted, psychedelic hip-hop", sounding "like if J. Dilla produced George Clinton after visiting with the Dalai Lama, or if Dan the Automator recorded Cody Chesnutt after the two shared a plate of magic mushrooms", and calling it "truly visionary".^[2] The BBC described it as "a stunning, genre-transcending record" and "a terrific, trippy adventure".^[3] Drowned in Sound gave the album 7/10, describing Ecks' voice as "a hugely versatile instrument, every bit as unique and distinctive as that of Bjork or Tom Waits", and calling the album "a fascinating glimpse of a character continually in transition".^[5] The Guardian called it "one of the strangest and most eclectic records you'll hear all year",^[10] and "an album that practically has a green smog drifting above it".^[6] Clash gave it 7/10, stating "repeated plays reveal an irresistible talent".^[4] PopMatters gave it 6/10, with reviewer David Amidon stating "I've listened to this album a lot just trying to make sense of it...and have walked away mostly pleased".^[8]

Track listing

All songs written by Gonjasufi.

References