 Those of you who have been amongst society in the past few of years will all be fairly familiar with uk hip hop mega team, The Four Owls, but for those that have been lost at sea or otherwise blind (and deaf) to the trends of our culture they are 4 man crew comprised of some of the finest talent the mighty High Focus Records has to offer. Fliptrix, Leaf Dog, BVA and Verb T all have a story to tell and are accomplished artists in their own right. They first came together and dropped their highly acclaimed debut album ‘Natures Greatest Mystery’ back in December 2011. The release was shrouded in mystery and that instant classic boombap sound is what quickly saw them rise to the uppermost branches (excuse the pun) of our scene and beyond.
Much like the first time around, Leaf Dog (aka Deformed Wing) handles the lions share of production, bar track 4 ‘Think Twice’ which see’s an international collaboration of epic proportions as our feathered friends ride a beat crafted by hip hop king and all round musical royalty, DJ Premier (half of Gangstarr and go to producer for the likes of Big L, Biggie, Nas, M.O.P, Jeru The Damaja, KRS-One and Mos Def to name a few). The album itself is seamlessly structured and serves as a testament to the growth and development of Leaf’s production. All 16 tracks will grab your attention as there is a huge amount of diversity as the beats switch and set the mood beautifully for whats about to follow. These owls are wise and have a formula between them that does not fail. As well as the Premo production, the project features guest barrings from the likes of Jam Baxter and Dirty Dike as well as RLD rapscallion, Smellington Piff & has cuts from High Focus resident turntablist, DJ Sammy B Side.  One of our favourite tracks that made the cut, aside from the obvious has to track 6. Entitled ‘Defiant’ the track encapsulates everything we look for in a classic uk hip hop banger. The beat is lead by a smooth trumpet loop that floats above and crunchy kick and snare that that offer the beat its classic, old skool vibe. If anyone knows which record Leaf found those trumpets let us know! Another track that took our attention was number 9 in the rotation ‘Dawn Of A New Day’ which features vocals from Smellington Piff. All 5 mc’s touch on what’s wrong with what's around us over another infectious, horn filled instrumental that’s got Leaf’s name blammed all over it. Overall this is nothing short of a classic. It has everything you could want from a release in the right proportions and once you get a chance to hear it, you’ll know exactly what we mean. Plain and simple - If you have a physical music collection, this CD will be collected and the limited vinyl will be treasured. Years from now when you look back over your collection, this will be one that you draw for first. RELEASED 12TH FEB 2015 - HIGH FOCUS RECORDS BUY 'NATURAL ORDER' ON CD: http://bit.ly/1vZs8zZ BUY 'NATURAL ORDER' ON LIMITED EDITION VINYL: http://bit.ly/1Am2M6L BUY 'NATURAL ORDER' ON iTUNES: http://bit.ly/1J20klF BUY 'THINK TWICE LIMITED EDITION 12'' VINYL: http://bit.ly/1wlBBl3 BUY 'THINK TWICE' DIGITAL SINGLE: http://bit.ly/1Gju3KO CATCH THE FOUR OWLS ALONGSIDE JUNGLE LEGEND ARIES + LOADS MORE @ EXETER PHOENIX 28TH MARCH  |
AuthorsJoe Read Archives
September 2021
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