The Portuguese slang term "sacanagem" effectively means to either be lewd and slutty, or to experiment sexually. Whichever definition you prefer, it is an absolutely perfect title for this mixtape from LSDXOXO. While LSDXOXO's earlier releases were damn sexy and weird, Sacanagem is something else entirely - a bizarre, innovative and completely sexy release that queers R&B both in terms of subject matter and in terms of sound. A blend of twisted club sound and teary R&B ballds, as the producer notes, "it's the perfect musical backdrop for hitting a lick, or getting dicked". The sounds here are truly odd, and manage to be both gorgeous and disturbing at the same time. Muffled screams, snapping snares and dark textures are paired with pretty cut-up vocal samples and gentle, ambient synths. It is emotionally complex, with the listener incapable of really being able to say whether or not they are turned on or freaked out on practically every track. The answer is usually both. Queering is all about disrupting boundaries and refusing to bow to binary definitions, and the ambiguities and malleability of this mixtape mirror that absolutely. LSDXOXO is helped here by some incredible guest spots from some of the most gifted figures in contemporary hip-hop. LGBT rapper Cakes Da Killa (Cold Wintour), Camp & Street vocalists DonChristian (Clips (Only One)) and Rahel (Bet), and queer rapper BBYMUTHA (Mindfvck) all bring their best vocal performances, with their provocative and nuanced styles proving a match for LSDXOXO's outstanding textures. A wide range of genders and perspectives are put forward here, with each confrontationally breaking apart standard heteronormative R&B sexuality excellently. This album disturbs and excites in equal measure because it appeals titillatingly to its listeners sexuality while rejecting conventional methods of expressing eroticism. On the record's centrepiece, the instrumental R E C H U R A, LSDXOXO achieves the pinnacle of their sonic vision. Moaning female and snapping male vocals are sampling over a propulsive beat and handclaps, with the track simultaneously feeling like an angry fight song and the soundtrack to the world's most experimental porn film. In LSDXOXO's musical world, notions of "male" and "female" genders are queered. One can be simultaneously lewd and totally sexy. And there is nothing wrong with being horny and nauseous at the same time.
