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His first solo release in three years, Dirty Dike returns with an official video for new single 'Permanent Midnight' featuring Jam Baxter, produced by Chemo. 'Permanent Midnight' alongside new track ‘Woah' featuring Lee Scott (produced by Pete Cannon) is available on aqua marine blue 7” vinyl with black splatter effect. This ultra limited 7" single is limited to 300 copies, never to be repressed - Go to the High Focus website to secure yourself a copy! Video by Xiphi Films Subscribe to HighFocusTV and never miss another video: http://bit.ly/1xuR8Gj
Track titled 'Long Gone' is part of Dabbla's forthcoming LP 'Death Moves' and features Jam Baxter. Produced by Sumgii. PRE-ORDER DEATH MOVES NOW on VINYL, CD, DIGITAL & CASSETTE from www.potentfunk.com/music-1 This kid goes in hard! Drop a comment and let us know what you think of the battle lol
Debut album from one of the newest rappers to emerge from the devon scene, this 13 track album covers all styles ranging from chilled lofi to trappy bangers. Album produced by Subindex -OLS
New release on OneLion Records from man like OVATONE! this is a 4 track EP with 3 bonus beats produced by the man himself, grab the download from our bandcamp now
 Fliptrix is back again to let loose a barrage of heavy Hip Hop, Trap and Grime tracks, delivering high-energy bars and beats in his latest album; INEXHALE. Contrasting with his previous album 'Patterns Of Escapism', Fliptrix delivers his bars rapidly and fast with little room to catch his breath between verses. And though lyrics maintain the classic Fliptrix style of direct messages framed in scene-setting references to the elements around the topic, INEXHALE sticks out as it departs from the funky, bouncey delivery style and soulful flows, to take on a more 'punching', dump-valve release style. When he's not pushing his lungs to the limit on fast-spoken, packed verses, he's launching spaced-out lyrics with volume and energy to ensure every millilitre of every exhale is put to work! The lyrics take you through the events of Fliptrix's journey through life and music, painting abstract images of his experiences to explain his outlook and share what he's learned so far. Delving deep into inner consciousness and the human experience to discover the foundations of what we're made from, and pointing out the external environments that shape us, Fliptrix explains the key findings of his studies in certain subjects for each track. From the vague shapes one can make out from the ether in 'Inhale' and how one tries to navigate them in 'Too Close To The Sun', we are shown his perspective on handling the mysteries of life. Other tracks are more literal and direct. 'One Hundred Feat. Datkid' tells how maximum efforts are made to keep one's head above water through life's harsh challenges, and 'Locked Down' explains the methods and practices one needs to follow in order to prepare for the inevitable hard times, and maintain the focus and drive needed to be the capable and effective being described in 'It's Like That'. Of course, a moment is taken to go mad and enjoy a hype in 'Inside the Ride Feat. Ocean Wisdom & Onoe Caponoe' and 'Catch Banter'. With the final tracks we have 'Take Off' covering how Fliptrix gathers all he's learned and developed so far to take on the next chapter, and 'Exhale' which takes a moment to look back and reflect on the paths traveled. Track sixteen is a mellow instrumental with a brief introduction to meditation - specifically the breathing pattern that likely inspired the album's name.  Production assembles the work of Joe Corfield, Molotov, and Chemo, with the tracks arranged to make the three styles link together seamlessly as the album moves from one track to the next. The 'echoey' distant synths and samples over reverberated drums in the beginning Hip Hop tracks, flow smoothly into the distorted 'vapourwave' melodies in the following trap tunes that bring long, organ-like bass riffs with subtle high-end percussion. Sampled instruments become more prominent and clear as the album moves into a heavy grime session in the middle, where layered samples and synths provide the dark platform on which Fliptrix and featured MCs unleash a ton of bars that light-up the sky like tracer-rounds to fronting bombers. The grime session closes to welcome the more classic, rolling Hip Hop vibe of simplistic melodies over complex bass and short-tap snares, for a quick break before getting back to an atmospheric grime, trap, and hip hop trio to compliment what's been done throughout the album leading up to them.
INEXHALE is an album with a message. You really want to sit down and give it your full attention and analyse what is being expressed. Fliptrix seems to have found something, and he wants us to find it too. Lock and load a copy of this battle-plan track collection for your music library on the 24th of August 2018, on Vinyl, CD, and Tape over at the official High Focus website! - Fire@Will - OneLion Sound  Obadiah returns for his first solo release of year; Baptism Beneath Monsoon. The appropriately named album will send your psyche down on an expedition that puts cracks through your depth meter!
Rounding up a variety of other MCs to join the storm, Obadiah shows his versatility in taking on a range of different vibes and subjects through various Hip Hop, Grime, and Trap beats, as his style is carefully arranged to fit the style of anyone featuring. Each track takes you through specific mind-states and leaves no stone unturned as it reconstructs the exact experience for you to explore and develop your own take on the feel given. Rather than throwing a certain rhetoric at you, Baptism Beneath Monsoon presents you with a variety of documented experiences and encourages you to delve deep and make up your own mind. Production is covered by a number of beat makers and is likewise a very diverse collection. From the crackly sample cuttings like those seen in Al Kimya, to contemporary crisp productions, and the the abstract and experimental mashups, the album's vibe of exploration and distant journeys is complimented by the continental collection of different styles and sub-genres. Each track is easy to settle into and feel like it's been your favourite track for the past couple months, but as one ends and another starts, there is just enough of a change to pull your attention to the difference without disrupting the overall experience, and keeping your ears attentive to the details surrounding the path it takes you down. Baptism Beneath Monsoon is an album for reflection and experience that drives you to flip your work bench over and pay attention to what you should really be focussing on in the moment. Pick up a Disc or Digital Download of this verbal research ship at the official Obadiah Bandcamp page!  With our minds smashed by Ocean Wisdom's last release, and a no doubt a large number of new listeners for High Focus, Coops arrive at a perfect time to re-assemble our heads and ease us back into the underground scene with a silky-smooth melodic collection in his debut release on this label; No Brainer.
Drifting from the usual Boom Bap vibe you'd expect from High Focus, Coops begins with a collection of soft vocals, melodic choruses, and subtle percussion in an R&B-Meets-gutters delivery where every track will ionize the atmosphere and set the mood from your speakers. The topic of each track is very much 'in the moment' and the album does not seem arranged to tell a story as much as it feels assembled to ensure the smoothest transition between tracks. From modulated vocals and soft-touch samples in 'Dreams (All Mine)', to the more upfront choruses and steady beat in 'L.O.V.E' and eventually the classic HF stomper of 'Pass The Mic Feat. Fliptrix, Rexx & Leaf Dog', the album gradually slopes from an underground experiment in neo-soul to the familiar Hip Hop of the UK's recent years. The topic of each track is a free-standing illustration of a moment. Striking the intended feel with such precision, re-listening to the same track is likely to transport your mind to the same place it did the first time. The beats make a consistent use of sub bass to fill the room and employ one or two detailed samples to set the scene in each song - over the album the variety is found in the choice of high-end, relying on bass to be the album's constant. Coops is not afraid to pick up tools used in the mainstream and trim them to handle the unforgiving environments of the underground Hip Hop scene. Voice modulation, minimalist high-end synths, and simplistic bass riffs are assembled to give certain tracks a very modern feel. But they gracefully maintain individuality and do not sacrifice themselves to a commercial blueprint but instead, construct something rare from the currently abundant - ending up with something that that fearlessly blurs the lines to find its own foundation. As mentioned earlier, tracks do venture more towards a traditional UKHH assembly, as the album progresses, but they keep that unique Coops vibe. The concluding track; 'That Jazz' does a great job of wrapping up the overall feel from the album into one summarising song. If your head's ever feeling scrambled, disassembled or outright absent, No Brainer is here to be your compass. The direct and deliberate feel it delivers will have you relaxed, re-aligned, and confident. Whether you want to let yourself settle or get moving with dexterity, this album will power you along in that direction. With it playing in the background, I didn't need to stop and think when writing this review as much as I usually do! And I can already see myself employing it for a good wind-down session. Order a copy of this mind-driver for yourselves on Tape, Vinyl, or CD, on the 27th of April, or pre-order now at at High Focus Records! A Digital Download is also available for Pre-Order from the Coops Official Bandcamp page. - Fire@Will - OneLion Sound |
AuthorsJoe Read Archives
September 2018
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