Frankie Knuckles - Beyond The Mix album review
Frankie Knuckles - Beyond The Mix is a mixture of electronic, house, funk, soul, and spoken word. The album uses several layers of instruments on the instrumentals. The founding father of Chicago house is a genius for using multiple layers of instruments on the instrumentals. The album is a great collection of songs which showcase Frankie Knuckles range and style.
Party At My House uses a touch of funkiness which is overlapped by the sounds of electronic house music. The soft beats indicate this. Bass will be shaking the place as you hear his music from far away. Frankie Knuckles sure knows music when it come to house music. There’s a party upstairs at 206 South Jefferson Street in Chicago, Illinois.
Right Thing is one of Frankie Knuckles more well known songs which uses a tempo of 122 BPM. That is typical for songs from house music. The jam is perfect to work out to.
Rain Falls is a perfect song for the club due to the dance styled beats used. Frankie Knuckles uses multiple layers of beats on this song. Rain Falls is one of Frankie Knuckles more overlooked songs which house heads and the general public overlooked.
Sold On Love is a mid tempo love song which uses a tempo of 86 BPM. No, the song is not a slow jam. If that is what you were looking for or thinking, then you are sorely mistaken and will be disappointed. The song uses that 80s synthpop sound in the beats and synths. A piano solo is performed 3/4ths into the song.
Is it any wonder that there is not enough room for love to go around? It is any wonder that there is not enough love to go around? It doesn’t matter where, how, when, or why you find love. Any way you can find love, people will try to hide what they have found or discovered. So we are sold on love. Love is a matter of deep emotion. We’re sold on love.
You can feel love pulling on both directions at the same time. People cry when love falls apart. It’s a matter of deep emotion. We need more of love.
5/5*****!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I-Cue – Funky Vintage EP EP review
I-Cue – Funky Vintage EP a soundscape of mixed musical genres such as jazz, electronic, and hip hop. This EP is instrumental for the most part. The whole EP has that funky vintage sound. Nearly over half of this EP is laced with heavy bass.
Dig This is a jazz instrumental which uses drums and upright bass. Upright bass is what gives away a vibe of upbeat swing jazz. The bass is what really stands out. (Well, high bass to be exact.) Instrumentation for this song is looped. Dig This samples DJ Krush - Roll & Tumble. Listen to the organ that plays and you can tell.
Keepin' It On uses a distorted jazz sample with an electronic sound. The song uses medium bass. The instrumentation for this song is placed on a continuous loop.
Vibes is a saxophone influenced jazz instrumental which uses heavy bass. The song uses multiple layers of instruments. An example of some of the instruments used are a kick drum, xylophone, saxophone, and upright bass. The bass really stands out.
Bright & Early is a more hip hop oriented song with a jazz influence. The tempo is quite upbeat.
3/5***
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Dayton Family - FBI (cassette promo version) album review
The Dayton Family - FBI (cassette promo version) used some different samples than the retail version. For instance the sample of Aaron Hall - I Love You Baby was not used on the retail edition of What’s On My Mind II. The track FBI samples Ludwig van Beethoven - Für Elise.
What’s On My Mind II is another track that made The Dayton Family a legendary rap ground in the streets of Flint, the state of Michigan, and throughout the Midwest US. The Dayton Family discusses to the listeners what’s on their mind while not holding back of course. The Dayton Family comes with a “no holds barred attitude” in aggressive form on this track and several other tracks of theirs.
Any fan of hardcore gangsta rap will enjoy this track! The Dayton Family does not hold back for anything! For example, read these verses to the lyrics of What’s On My Mind.:
What's on my mind is a rape in progress
I got my dick in between some bitch’s breasts
What's on my mind is a knife at a hoe’s throat
I took her gold, her pussy, and her mink coat
This version samples Art of Noise - Moments in Love and Aaron Hall - I Love You Baby.
This version of Ghetto samples The Floaters - Float On. Ghetto was released on the FBI album that in 1996. The lyrics have the same concept of living in a cycle of poverty.
Ghetto provides emotional insight showcasing the life cycle of poverty. The mood is sad and mournful. The lyrics are very much different from each other but have the same concept of living life in a cycle of poverty. It's about survival. Hustling and trying to have a normal life in an impossible environment.
FBI takes ride through one of the worst ghettos of in the United States of America with such gruesome imagery and powerful narratives. FBI is a classic without a doubt. The track itself is a cult classic for Dayton Family fans.
FBI samples The Isley Brothers - For The Love Of You and Ludwig van Beethoven - Für Elise. This version of FBI was produced by Steve Pitts. The beats have different arrangements, percussion selection, samples, filters, rhythm, and sound from the 1991 version of FBI. Mark Taylor used equal temperament while producing the track. Its enharmonic sound is quite notable. J Robinson laid down the arrangements.
Real Wit This is a Shoestring solo where he gets real and lyrical all at the same time. This is one of his best songs. His delivery and demeanor is aggressive.
5/5*****!!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Dayton Family – Dope Dayton Ave. (1991 version) album review
Dope Dayton Ave. was a demo pressed on cassette and released on GrayT Records (GreyT Records) in 1991. The Dayton Family had this tape circulating around Flint, Michigan. Only 500 copies were ever made and released. This demo tape is extremely and hard to come by or even find in retail stores. This album was released only in Flint. This demo cassette became a cult classic and a fan favorite in the underground scene of Flint rap amongst TDF fans. This tape was sold at Wyatt Earp’s Store in Flint also.
Some tracks from their demo cassette were from the albums FBI and What’s On My Mind. Most of these tracks are the demo versions which are different from the studio versions seen or heard from the albums FBI and What’s On My Mind. This demo is realistically more of an EP than an actual full length album due to its short duration. Steve Pitts mixed and produced the demo at Silver Sun Studios in Flint, Michigan.
The cassette only had 5 songs while fans say they have copies that had either 6 or 7 songs. The amount of songs varies according to fans. However it has been confirmed by Shoestring that a 5 song EP on cassette was released in 1991. The extra songs might have been added as hidden bonus tracks. The 1991 version has 5 songs and the 1994 version has 8 songs.
As with all Dayton Family albums, the subject matter is pure gangsta with drug dealing being a reoccurring theme. The beats are excellent! This album is gangsta rap at its finest.
This version of Dope Dayton Ave. is quite similar to the 1995 version of Dope Dayton Ave. heard on the What’s On My Mind album. Only the sound is a lot less polished and unmastered in terms of production and sound quality. This version of Dope Dayton Ave. has a more ghetto underground sound. The beats are raw. This is where The Dayton Family gets real raw. They are constantly aggressive on the track.
Dope Dayton Ave. is named after the infamous Dayton Avenue, is known as one of the most crime-ridden streets in Flint, Michigan. Bootleg, Shoestring, and Backstabba rap about coming up from their own upbringings living in the hardest conditions of the United States of America. The trio’s name is derived from Dayton Avenue in Flint.
This was the first track The Dayton Family had ever recorded. Dope Dayton Ave. was recorded in 1991 and released on a cassette single that was a demo with Ghetto Thang included. Dope Dayton Ave. was re-recorded in 1994 with Mark Taylor and J Robinson producing the track. The group began working with local producer Steve Pitts and formed The Dayton Family later.
Backstabba gets hardcore and aggressive. The track is known for its patterns of aggressiveness. Read his verses used in the lyrics of Dope Dayton Ave.:
nobody fucks me
especially on Dayton Avenue
because all I do is smoke weed, sell crack, and screw
brew too
Ghetto Thang is a demo of Ghetto from the FBI album that dropped in 1996. This version of Ghetto is very much different from the version of Ghetto on the FBI album. Ghetto Thang samples Art of Noise - Moments in Love while Ghetto on the FBI album samples The Floaters - Float On. This song was recorded in 1991.
The lyrics are very much different from each other but have the same concept of living in a cycle of poverty. However Ghetto Thang has some similar lyrics to Ghetto from the FBI album. K-Mill (R.I.P.) of Raw Deal speaks at the end of Ghetto Thang.
Ghetto Thang provides emotional insight showcasing the life cycle of poverty. The mood is sad and mournful. The lyrics are very much different from each other but have the same concept of living life in a cycle of poverty. It's about survival. Hustling and trying to have a normal life in an impossible environment.
This version of FBI is much different from the version found on the 1996 FBI album. This version uses samples while the 1996 version does not. This version of FBI was produced by Mark Taylor instead of Steve Pitts FBI samples The Isley Brothers - For The Love Of You and Ludwig van Beethoven - Für Elise. The beats have different arrangements, percussion selection, samples, filters, rhythm, and sound from the 1996 version of FBI. Mark Taylor used equal temperament while producing the track. Its enharmonic sound is quite notable. J Robinson laid down the arrangements.
Ludwig van Beethoven - Für Elise is the most the notable sample that used throughout the track being that the sample is looped itself over as the background music. Bagatelle No. 25 in A minor (WoO 59, Bia 515) for solo piano, commonly known as Für Elise, is the highlight sample for this track.
The piece is in A minor and is set in at 3|8 time. The song does not lack atonality (lacks a tonal center or key). Left-hand arpeggios are delayed by a 16th note with extra bars in the B section and finally last is the rising A minor arpeggio figure. It begins with an A minor theme marked Poco moto (little movement), with the left hand playing arpeggios alternating between A minor and E major. Then the pitch shifts to the C note (C major) descending into the A note (A minor).
The sample is played in A minor with pitch shifting to B using the ABA scale such as follows.: A-B-A
The ABA scale is the most noticeable music scale used on FBI. A brief section is based around C major and A minor. C major descends into A minor. The structure is A–B–A–C–A in rondo form. The structure is A–B–A–C–A in rondo form much of which is looped throughout the track.
FBI takes ride through one of the worst ghettos of in the United States of America with such gruesome imagery and powerful narratives. FBI is a classic without a doubt. The track itself is a cult classic for Dayton Family fans.
The original version of FBI named the some of the Flint cops whose brushes with Dayton Family’s members had listed their names to a shitlist. Such as Officer Harlan Green, Officer Julio H., and Officer Kendall.
Musical arrangements and beats for the demo version of Flint Town are much different from the version of Flint Town that appeared on the What’s On My Mind album. The lyrics are slightly different with alternative verses not heard of the What’s On My Mind album. Treble is reduced on the demo version of this track as well. Flint Town samples the beat of Run DMC - Rock Box.
Mark Taylor produced the demo version while Steve Pitts produced the 1994 version. This version of Flint Town was recorded in 1991 at Silver Sun Studios and Reynolds RAPP Studio.
Flint Town is the track that made The Dayton Family a legendary rap ground in the streets of Flint, the state of Michigan, and throughout the Midwest US. This is the absolute highlight track for this demo!
The Dayton Family refutes the notion that race does not matter in American society. Flint is not a prosperous scenic town inhabited by celebrities. Michael Jackson says “Black or white, it shouldn’t matter.”. This is a reference to Michael Jackson - Black Or White where Michael Jackson says race shouldn’t matter.
Clearly Michael Jackson was living in an idealistic, magical place like Hollywood, California. Flint is a place where things are very rough and race matters. The Dayton Family feels there isn’t any way out of a bleak environment.
The city of Flint was once racially segregated by district zoning lines. These district zoning lines were politically structured and altered over the years. These district zoning lines were set up by politicians to keep minorities oppressed.
The movie industry pays no attention to the plight of Flint. Although, however, Michael Moore’s 1989 documentary Roger and Me shed light on the deindustrialization situation that hurt Flint severely.
Bootleg tried to go to college but didn’t feel he could fit in anyway due to his social, economic, and racial background. This indicates life in Flint is difficult and there is limited opportunity to receive higher education. There are several colleges in the area such as the University of Michigan – Flint, and Kettering University Bootleg makes commentary on discrimination in the college admissions process. University of Michigan’s Affirmative Action policies are often racist. This has been a big issue and still is.
Flint keeps people trapped in an impoverished environment. It is so hard to escape the drugs and violence that plague Flint. He refuses to work hard at a fast food franchise and still be poor. He can’t live in a nice condo as he would still be in the hood.
Flint Town is a track that made The Dayton Family a legendary rap ground in the streets of Flint, the state of Michigan, and throughout the Midwest US. The Dayton Family discusses to the listeners what’s on their mind while not holding back of course. Flint Town without a doubt is a classic track that still gets play to this very day by many people.
The Dayton Family comes with a “no holds barred attitude” in aggressive form on this track and several other tracks of theirs. Any fan of hardcore gangsta rap willing to accept the truth and daily reality will enjoy this track!
What’s On My Mind is another track that made The Dayton Family a legendary rap ground in the streets of Flint, the state of Michigan, and throughout the Midwest US. The Dayton Family discusses to the listeners what’s on their mind while not holding back of course. The Dayton Family comes with a “no holds barred attitude” in aggressive form on this track and several other tracks of theirs. Any fan of hardcore gangsta rap will enjoy this track!
The Dayton Family does not hold back for anything! For example, read these verses to the lyrics of What’s On My Mind.:
What's on my mind is a rape in progress
I got my dick in between some bitch’s breasts
What's on my mind is a knife at a hoe’s throat
I took her gold, her pussy, and her mink coat
Fantasies is a track that was recorded by The Dayton Family in 1991. This version of Fantasies was recorded at Silver Sun Studios and Bangtown Productions. The demo version of Fantasies samples The Isley Brothers - For The Love Of You. The demo version of Fantasies has more added flavor than the studio version. The demo version of Fantasies is a totally different version than the studio version of Fantasies.
Fantasies is a track perfect for a vacation on a tropical island or a long cruise down the road while traveling. But most definitely Fantasies is song perfect for a vacation on a tropical island for sunny weather or the summer season.
Jake The Flake is a hidden bonus track included on the Dope Dayton Ave. album. The track is a Jake The Flake solo. The track Jake The Flake is both an underground classic and a Flint rap classic amongst Jake The Flake fans. Good hardcore shit right here.
The bass is quite heavy with pultruding bass lines with different musical notes. Mark Taylor arranged the heavy bass lines. Steve Pitts mixed the track. The song Jake The Flake was recorded at Bangtown Productions in 1991 before his debut single Time To Go Legit dropped.
Stepping out of the ghetto is a killer named Jake. Jake The Flake was this kid from the Flint ghetto who was a drug dealer. He was selling kilograms of cocaine every week. Selling weight of Peruvian Flake. He was the one pushing large amounts of weight in Flint at that time. The whole track describes his drug dealing past and run-ins with law enforcement.
He always claims his hood as his hood is where he comes from. (Particularly in King Hood on Dupont Street.) Started off as a shortie with them eight balls and them double ups. He’s a born hustler who can’t help but come up. Bitches want to jerk him. Fiends try to work him. They know he has dope. More dope than Eddie Murphy. Booming at a fast rate. That’s how he operates. He runs his business smooth. Jake used to pull gank moves and rob people. This was done on a mini-bike.
He killed a person and dumped the body in a lake. He never caught a murder case as he got away in every chase. Police will never catch a nigga like Jake the mothafuckin’ Flake!
Now he is sitting up in his dope house with a single shot 20 gauge. Surely he has a 12 gauge if things get too ugly or graphic. Police are about to hit up his dope house. It’s time for him to make a break for the door. He always gets away.Police will never catch a nigga like Jake the mothafuckin’ Flake! Jake the mothafuckin’ Flake!
The lyrics “36 is what I’m coppin’/36 is what I’m selling” became his well known catchphrase among his fans. That is one of his most famous lyrics.
He keeps a low key profile due to his booming narcotics sales of drugs or in his case cocaine. An AK is loaded for them snitches who are jealous. Jake never leaves evidence when he kills people. He is known for selling weight of Peruvian Flake (cocaine) in the city of Flint.
5/5*****!!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Devox Featuring Angie B. Stone - Devox album review
Devox Featuring Angie B. Stone is a forgotten neo-soul classic album that has been very overshadowed and forgotten. The album had soulful hits such as You Can’t Hide Love, Seems You're Much Too Busy, and Tell Me. The album include the infectious love song You Can’t Hide Love which was a hit for them!
In 1996, neo-soul singer Angie B. Stone teamed up with Gerry DeVeaux (Lenny Kravitz's cousin) and Charlie Mole to form the group Devox. Gerry DeVeaux asked Angie B. Stone to be a featured vocalist on his project. They recorded one album which was titled Devox Featuring Angie B. Stone. However the album was not distributed across the world internationally. The album was only released in Japan by Toshiba EMI in 1996. Devox’s album was well received in Japan.
The album was a limited release. This album is long out of print and extremely hard to find. Undoubtedly the only place you will find this album is on eBay.
However this did not last very long as her time with Devox was short lived. Angie would split from the trio and it wasn't long after that that she signed with Arista Records. This caused a rift in the trio which would lead them to split up within a year. The trio disbanded in 1996.
Some people tend to believe the Devox album was her first solo album due to her name being included on the front cover. However that is not the case. She was asked to be a vocalist and not a member of Devox.
The Devox album is not an Angie B. Stone solo album but is rather a group effort by a one-time trio Devox. This was because Gerry Deveaux took Angie under his musical wing as part of his 'Devox' project. Angie B. Stone was building her reputation as a singer and writer when she was working with Devox.
Several of the song from the Devox album made their way onto a compilation called ‘Soul Degrees-The Songs And Music Of Gerry Devaux’ which was released by UK-based soul label Expansion.
Here are the reasons why Devox split after one album. There are three reasons of what led to their demise. Read them below.
Reason #1. Angie B. Stone deciding to sign with Arista Records for a solo career.
Angie already had plans for a solo career. She wasn't interested in being in another group with Devox because she already had a strong foundation of her own with groups Vertical Hold and The Sequence. Her working with Vertical Hold is what established a strong foundation for herself in the music business. The group Vertical Hold had 3 singles which were already moderately successful hits in the United States. It wasn't long after that that she signed with Arista Records.
This caused a caused a split between Devox and her. Of course Gerry Deveaux was offended by this. So he decided to disband the trio after finding out the shocking truth.
Reason #2. Angie was never really a “member”.
She was hired as a featured vocalist and not as a group member. She was only asked to be a vocalist and not a member. Despite her name being on the front cover, this was not her first solo album contrary to popular belief.
Reason #3. Money.
Angie revealed in an interview with Soul magazine that that she was only paid a couple hundred dollars ($200 dollars) to do singing as a featured vocalist. She did not get paid much. She was not yet an established songwriter who had connections in the music business. Angie B. Stone was building her reputation as a singer and songwriter when she was working with Devox.
Seems You're Much Too Busy is a cover of Vertical Hold - Seems You're Much Too Busy. This version is identically similar to the original. This version follows the same upbeat tempo as the original. However the beats used on this cover are much thicker as opposed to the original. Seems You're Much Too Busy has a soulful touch.
The song is about a person who is much too busy to give attention and spend time with the one they love. That person is much too busy these days.
The ironic part about this song is that Angie had recently departed the group Vertical Hold. Yes, the one and only group called Vertical Hold. That is why you can hear her craft all over this song.
Angie sings with angelic vocals on Tell Me thus giving the song a breathtaking sound. Tell Me samples the children’s nursery rhyme the children's nursery rhyme 'London Bridge Is Falling Down and Mary Had A Little Lamb which gives away a playful mood.
Tell Me is a sweet love song. The move love you got, the more that you want. It’s a part of loving someone. It’s not enough to hold on to the one you can depend on. Every day and night. Angie will give you whatever you want. She will give you what your heart desires. She has the time and energy.
You Can’t Hide Love was a hit in Japan for the trio. The song charted at #42 on Tokio HOT 100 on the week of September 29, 1996. This was referenced in a copy of Billboard Magazine dating back to Oct 19, 1996. You Can’t Hide Love is an infectious love song. Garry and Angie sing the breathtaking chorus.
Love is like a drug that will surely trick you to your surprise. Love gives us a natural high leaving you dazed and confused. Angie makes a comparison of love being similar to sweet candy. You can get love anytime you want or need.
You can try to fight love but love will eventually gets you. Everybody fights love at some point in their lives. That is a fact.
Let It Go is a song which uses an infectious percussion ensemble. The song uses a touch of dance music backed by keyboard synths. The song serves as a farewell song to all those issues in your life. Sometimes you’ve got let issues go and let it go.
Angie is on her way to somewhere. She doesn’t know or care. So hats off to her for expressing her self. She has decided to let it go. Life is so crazy.
Taking Care Of Business has a more jazz oriented sound hence the jazzy sound. The brass horn ensemble fives that away. The song has a theme of independence. Taking Care Of Business is about doing what’s best for you when you are taking care of business. This means taking things day by day. Self-preservation is the only way to grow.
The time has come for Angie to do everything that she has set out to do. She won’t be pressured by demands of everyday life. She is going to get things right. Angie does what’s best for her. Taking things day by day doesn’t bother her as she is a woman of conviction. Self-preservation is the only way to grow.
4/5****!
No comments:
Post a Comment