Swapping his trusted MPC 2000XL for a new weapon of choice is a villainous move. But what else to expect coming from the peculiar mind of Galaktic Rogue. ‘Behind The Mask’ was almost entirely produced on the SP-505, adding a new sonic layer to last year’s debut beat-tape ‘Villainz4Life.’ The essentials remained the same—superhero cartoon skits, soundtrack records, European rare grooves, and distant echoes of Madvillain, Def Jux, and ‘Donuts’-era J Dilla. But the sound diverted to something much grittier. The SP-505 achieves a more “dirty” sound, which Rogue intensified with additional effects and by recording all the beats on a vintage cassette deck. There’s a punk attitude to that DIY, no-mercy approach to beats, as explained in the album description of 2021’s ‘Villainz4Life.’ In hindsight, when Rogue challenged Rucksack Records label mate Spectacular Diagnostics for a mano-a-mano beatmaking brawl earlier this year (leading to the double cassette ‘The Conqueror’ / ‘Peleks’), was also such a bold action. The title ‘Behind The Mask’ might suggest that Galaktic Rogue gives a glimpse of the personality behind the super-villain mask. But listening to the beat-tape actually drags you even deeper into the wormhole portal to his strange universe.