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The soundtrack for prominent streetwear designer Virgil Abloh’s recent Off-White runway show has just been released and it’s a doozy.

Beginning with a two minute sample of a 1988 interview with American noise rock outfit, Sonic Youth, the lengthy track slowly drifts into a subtle piece by acclaimed avant composer, William Basinski. It features the hushed crooning of Desiigner’s blues-like verses, which you’ll probably recognise as his hypnotic XXL Freshman Freestyle. His lines then suddenly give way to an absolutely gorgeous piece of industrial ambience, and chamber-like serenity. In terms of sheer familiarity, this is about as close as we get to a signature Basinski-sound.

The 10 minute piece finishes on a more ubiquitous note with a sample of Kanye West’s gospel-heavy ‘Father Stretch My Hands’, taken straight from Ye’s most recently decadent snafu, The Life of Pablo. For a man who’s credited as being the controversial MC’s creative director, this audible pat on the back isn’t really all that surprising.

In terms of continuity or theme, there really is none here. The three sections are about as distinct from one another as you can imagine. However this is definitely a far-cry from the olden days of bloated techno numbers completely drowning the catwalk. And it’s certainly a welcome change.

Listen to the soundtrack below.

  • Words: Vincent Dwyer

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