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 Moraless joins forces with JMB Media once again to bring you the official video for his Track; Promethazine. Built from a collection of clean shots of an overcast Dawlish from the ground and from the air mixed together in a way where everything seems 'nearly normal'. At a glance it all seems to consist of an ordinary everyday scene, with the occasional shot or movement that just knocks things out of the ordinary, just enough to make you do a double take, very reminiscent of that feeling where you're not sure if you're still a little under the influence or not, and very fitting to the feel of the tune!
This was one of my favourite tracks from his album less is more, and you can see a review for the whole album which was released just over half a year back. - Fire@Will OneLion Sound Instagram/Twitter- @BigGeorgeBucks
filmed by @geckzselecta SLIPPERY SLOPES COLLECTIVE! https://www.facebook.com/slipperyslop... New Ep from Subindex aka Stemik expect darker vibes and trappy beats on Vol 2 of his Cherry Drops series, got to the onelion bandbcamp for free downloads of both! Energy, weight, drive, speed, all things big about all kinds of rap music - from big aspects that make it to big names who make it - are being served up by Ocean Wisdom in a twenty-one-track extravaganza that is Wizville! A vast variety of styles are covered in this album. I don’t just mean a variety of genres like trap and Hip Hop, but no two Hip Hop tracks will sound alike here. The vibe shifts from the Wild West aesthetic of Wu Tang in 'Ting Dun Ft. Method Man' to a more upbeat modern feel in the track that follows it; 'Life'. And some songs won't be easy to pin to a standard genre at all. Wizzy has very much set out to be jack of all trades and a master of them as well! The album does not stick to one theme or story. Every track is picture in its own frame that focuses in on a particular subject and experience for Ocean to go in on at maximum detail. Sometimes you will struggle keep up with him as he releases bars at a rate that leaves you sure his voice box is belt-fed, beckoning you to replay the album almost immediately, and the variety of material will ensure you won't be getting bored of it any time soon. The album may be twentyone tracks long, but I would say there was forty two tracks worth of material crammed into it. Exploring upbeat and fast moving vibes in 'Don', bouncing an active narrative style in 'Tom & Jerry', venting frustration through conviction in the classically aggressive grime style of 'I Ain't Eaten', to taking a step back and reflecting on life in the calm confessional of 'Perspective' - a melodic and slow-swaying Hip Hop ballad - Ocean does not constrain himself to a single story or theme in this album, instead he lets his pen off the leash to find all the nearest topics and chew them to ribbons, making sure it wasn't left hungry by the time of release. Production is a mixed bag from Rude Kid, Pete Cannon, and Mystry. As with the lyrical material the beats come in varied with a wide range of vibes. 'Don' features a percussion-led 'street chase' feel, 'Burning A Bridge' is spacious with a simple drum loop, light acoustic melody and subtle sub-bass, contrasting with 'Western Road' which employs layers of reverberated orchestral samples to bring a dramatic feeling one could describe as ‘grime in a cathedral’. If you mark out a midpoint between those examples you find yourself with the carefully deployed samples and balanced drumming of the ending Hip Hop song; 'Menacing'. Overall, sampling could be considered clean and deliberate. Vinyl crackles are no longer the signature start to every track, and the evident willingness to explore is propelled with the experienced creativity of the producers. Wizville is a peak into an energetic and innovative approach to life that Ocean and team needed to spread the wings of this album as far they have. Enjoy it as a brilliant spectacle to get lost in, or use it as the auditory kick up arse you need to hurry up and finish your own projects. It calls out the unproductive, the disorganised, and nay-saying side of anyone, slaps it out of them, and tells them what they should be doing and what they could be enjoying if they get on with it! Catch a copy of this massive project on Tape, Vinyl, CD, or Digital Download, on the 23rd of February 2018, or pre-order now at at High Focus Records! - Fire@Will - OneLion Sound Obadiah, R.I.Z, and Nadawi take you on an archaeological exploration of samples and spirits from a forgotten age and twist them into an aesthetic of dust and shadows one would expect to find deep within the Ruins of Hatra. The three lyricists of Synchromystics deliver bars that connect the past to the present, the present to the future, and the overall timeline to all that is and will be. Referring to the origins of the West in Rome, hermetic principles behind the construction of the world we live in, and the materialists that get distracted and lost - forgetting to pay attention to what's real. Each then contextualises the point by telling personal experiences that demonstrate how this resonates in all walks of life, and one would do well to stick to a path of reality and sensibly-set values, or fall into a mind-state of chaos. The production is handled by NineFive El Presedente SOSS who cleverly cuts old film samples that transport you to scenes of Thebes or Constantinople, with modern drums and synthesized subs to bring you a style of grime that definitely belongs in cities, but not cities as we know them in this modern age. A vibe that gets you moving, but attentive to the underlying message whether you are to take it in consciously or subconsciously. SOSS also shows more than just production skill when he grabs the mic in 'Synchro' to bring a smooth yet haunting hook. One track in the middle; 'Final Intifada', is brought to you by Lplate, who is much more subtle on the sampling, but does well to compliment the rest of the album by matching the same aesthetic from a different angle. Al Kimiya is certainly one to be one of those unique releases that will make 2018 stand out in the underground scene. Download a copy of these songs carved from sandstone for free, on the Synchromystics Bandcamp page! Newly signed to High Focus - Coops are here to bring us a silky smooth single; That Jazz. Crossing the classic Hip Hop vibe of complicated scratching and rolling rhythms with classical jazz instruments, they wrap the vibe in something complimentary, with bars covering all the standard modern Hip Hop topics one would write an aggressive rant about, and sending it through the blender to present them as a smoothie of a truth that doesn't hurt.
That Jazz walks you through what’s currently on the mind of the Coops at a steady pace - fast enough to encourage you to move, slow enough for anyone to keep up with. It beckons listeners to think about the world right now, and where they want to be in it. Coming across with a professionalism that makes them look settled, while they're happy to admit they're still on this ongoing journey. It's been a little while since we've heard from Moraless, but that doesn't mean he's forgotten about the mic. Today he's linked with JMB Media to drop a short Freestyle that brings enough fire to see us all through the end of winter!
Slardy and Nephlim bring us back to the early 2000's with a bassy beat and melodic choruses wrapped up in a cheeky rendition of a weekend evening's madness. Bound to get you moving and eager to do something you said you were gonna quit on Monday.
After putting space and time between previous situations and locations, Brad Slade reflects on the frustration of being haunted by taxing people and problems that seem inescapable, and shows how a joy can be found in learning to accept the world as it is, and the people as they are, as it all seems to repeat itself in every place you go. Showing how it is not a place you would want to leave behind, but a set of values that prevent you from finding comfort, anywhere you are.
The video, shot all in black and white, focuses on the small details that build up wide open vistas of the south coast, to pull you right into that mindset of taking a moment to get away from the hustle and bustle of life and reflect on all the minor elements and memories that make your life what it is. Putting a distance between you and it so you can figure out how you feel about it all, Slardy invites you towards ideas of acceptance and appreciation of everything there is to find peace in one's present or past. The production is a slow, yet repetitive echoing of classical instruments, that bring the feeling of taking a breather on what you know is an ongoing journey. A piano taps away to the simple automotive, day-to-day experiences, where strings come in to emphasise the moments felt most profound. Appropriately released at the start of the year, Brad Slade - Everywhere I go, prompts you to see what's happened in a positive light, and use it to spur you on to do even better in, and make more enjoyment out of, whatever happens next. |
AuthorsJoe Read Archives
September 2021
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