Deantoni Parks is a drummer/songwriter/producer from New York, best known for his work in the band KUDU. His last solo effort came two years ago when he released Wally. He now comes back with a live album, Homo Deus.

The title of the album comes from a book by Yuval Noah Harari, who writes about the cognitive revolution, and suggests that if humans were to achieve a second cognitive revolution, they would gain “access to unimaginable new realms and make them lords of the galaxy.” This is some interesting food for thought as you listen to this album from Parks, who is definitely trying to challenge your preconceived notion about what music is supposed to sound like. The closest comparison I can think of to Parks would be Karriem Riggins, in the way that they both drum and play with samples at the same time. With Parks, the samples are extremely short, and the development is more rhythmic than it is melodic. The melody often emerges over time, if at all, as these short clips are played repeatedly in rhythmic patterns against each other, all while Parks is also keeping things tight as can be on the drum sets as well. It’s the type of album that demands your full attention, and it might take a little while to sink in, because it’s so different in its structure, but once you readjust your ears, the rewards come in waves. Because the recording is so good and the audience interaction is kept minimal here, it’s easy to forget that he’s doing all of this live, but it is nice to remember that all this precise interaction between samples and drumming is all happening in real time.

Deantoni Parks is an interesting musician with a unique point of view. Homo Deus is an album with few peers, and it really challenges you and rewards you as a listener. It pushes you out of your comfort zone, but then gives you something new to enjoy.