The Expert has built his reputation on an ear for psychedelic textures, surreal moods, and sharp attention to detail. With Vivid Visions, the Irish producer elevates those qualities into what is arguably his most ambitious work yet. Across 18 tracks and featuring a staggering lineup of 21 rappers, the album is one of the best producer records you will hear this year—a sprawling, colorful, and deeply thought-out piece of Hip Hop that functions as both a celebration of the underground and a fully immersive listening experience.
Producer albums are often sprawling affairs, gathering verses from every corner of the scene without much cohesion. Vivid Visions avoids that trap. Instead, The Expert has crafted something closer to a psychedelic mix: songs bend, twist, and bleed into each other. The sequencing feels deliberate, allowing the listener to fall into a kaleidoscopic flow where nothing overstays its welcome. One track slides in with woozy organs and swirling guitar samples, another hits with dusty drum breaks and ghostly voices, and another bursts forward with funk-laced basslines. Through it all, the low end is heavy and the details are rich, keeping the record grounded while still head-spinning.
The guest list is remarkable, not only for its size but for its range. Veteran voices like Blu, Buck 65, and Jehst sit comfortably next to younger artists like AJ Suede, Milc, Lungs, and Regular Henry. ShrapKnel (the duo of PremRock and Curly Castro) bring their cerebral grit, while Defcee—who contributes verses across multiple tracks—anchors the project with precision and thoughtfulness. NAHreally, another frequent collaborator of The Expert, also plays an important role, helping shape the album’s tone and steering its psychedelic edges.
Each MC inhabits The Expert’s beats differently. Blu glides with his trademark density, piling imagery into his verses. Buck 65 delivers the kind of gravelly, offbeat poetry that made him a cult hero. AJ Suede and Milc bring a more animated, contemporary energy, twisting their flows into the cracks of warped loops. Jehst, a long-respected UK voice, sounds commanding as ever. Even with such a wide cast, nobody feels out of place—each verse works as part of a collective vision.
Part of the album’s strength comes from the references baked into its DNA. The Expert has spoken about his inspirations: the surrealism of David Lynch’s Twin Peaks, the fractured psychedelia of The Monkees’ Head, and the collage-style sampling of The Avalanches. Those influences come through not as surface-level nods, but as guiding spirits. Listening to Vivid Visions can feel like stepping into a dream where everything looks familiar but distorted: organs stretched into strange shapes, guitars chopped into playful stabs, drums that sound both dusty and futuristic.
That dreamlike quality is balanced by the rappers’ groundedness. Many of them use the beats to explore their own realities—sometimes grim, sometimes playful, often abstract. One verse may describe city paranoia over eerie synths, while another paints funny, absurdist images against a backdrop of chopped-up funk. The tension between the psychedelic production and the diverse lyrical content keeps the record fresh across its hour-long runtime.
Structurally, the album is built like a trip. Early cuts introduce the mood with warped breaks and surreal interludes. As the tracklist progresses, the sound becomes denser and more chaotic: glitchy drums, sudden sample flips, voices ducking in and out of the mix. Toward the back half, the record takes a more reflective turn, with spacey keys and softer textures that bring a sense of calm before the finale. It’s less a collection of songs and more a carefully plotted arc, with peaks, valleys, and moments that feel like coming up for air.
The production itself is detailed to the point of obsession. Tiny flourishes—flutes that appear for two seconds and vanish, bits of dialogue hidden under the mix, basslines that wobble unexpectedly—make repeat listens rewarding. There’s a playful quality to the way The Expert arranges his beats, as if he’s constantly trying to surprise the listener. But the surprises never feel cheap; they’re built into the fabric of the music. Even the wildest flips maintain an internal logic, keeping the album coherent.
Another strength is how Vivid Visions avoids the common pitfalls of “producer albums.” At no point does it sound like a beat tape with verses tacked on. The chemistry between The Expert and his guests is real, and the care with which each track is tailored to the MCs is obvious. Defcee, for instance, sounds entirely at home across multiple songs, to the point where he feels like a recurring character. NAHreally’s presence threads the project together, while ShrapKnel bend the production into darker corners. Everyone brings their individuality, but the record still feels like a whole.
At 18 tracks, Vivid Visions is substantial, but it’s never bloated. Interludes and transitions break things up without derailing momentum. Some tracks blur into each other, which adds to the immersive quality rather than feeling repetitive. It’s a record designed for deep listens, though it works in fragments too—there are plenty of songs that hold up outside of the album’s flow.
Ultimately, Vivid Visions is a rare producer album that manages to balance ambition with execution. The Expert has pulled together a massive cast of voices, tied them into a coherent and psychedelic framework, and produced something that is both heady and accessible. It’s playful, dense, and endlessly detailed, with enough texture to reward repeat listens for months. In a year already packed with strong independent Hip Hop releases, this project deserves to be remembered as one of 2025’s highlights.
It’s not an easy feat to make an album with 21 different rappers feel unified, but The Expert has done it. Vivid Visions is proof that producer-driven Hip Hop can still be imaginative, ambitious, and deeply engaging without falling into gimmickry. For fans of psychedelic beats, underground lyricism, or simply adventurous music, this record is essential.
9/10
Download The Expert – Vivid Visions
Also read: The Best Hip Hop Albums Of 2025