Bambounou – Night / Brawl single review
Bambounou – Night / Brawl was the bass heavy single that was released digitally on the clekclekboom label. The single is a throwback to clekclekboom which is one of the best digital labels in Paris, France during the 2010s.
Night is an upbeat techno trance song laced with heavy bass. This was the song known for being very bass heavy. Some people may think that the vocal sample used in the background is saying, “bring Bagdad”. However that is not true. The repetitive vocal samples used in the background are saying, “bring back that” and “I will I will”. Bambounou sure knows how to compose a masterpiece. His outstanding flow leaves much to be desired. The entire song is absolutely sick.
Brawl is another one of his bass heavy songs laced with that techno sound. The repetitive lyrics you hear in the song are, “uh-uh weh oh weh oh weh oh weh oh weh oh weh oh”. Some blips can be heard throughout the song.
5/5*****!!
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Moodymanc – Mode EP EP review
Moodymanc – Mode EP lesser known works in the field of electronic music and techno. This is because only 20 copies of this EP were pressed up in vinyl format by 2020Vision Recordings Ltd in 2010. The vinyl was manufactured in the UK. According to discogs.com, Moodymanc – Mode EP is #20 in a limited edition series of twenty vinyl titles. Any reprints you might see online are clearly bootlegs and are unofficial.
Mode Dub is one of the more downbeat oriented songs from Moodymanc. The song uses a dub filter. The song also uses several layers of instruments such as a lush soft piano, hi-hats, crash cymbals, and claves. Lounge meets electronic and jazz on Mode Dub.
At the 1:33 mark in the song is where a soft piano is used. The soft piano gradually builds up at a slow pace. This is where the buildup begins. Notice how the soft piano gets increasingly louder at the 2:26 mark and the 2:50 mark. The piano is sustained with the usage of damper pedals. Damper pedals sustain notes coming from the soft piano. Notice how the notes do not echo or continue.
Layered underneath the soft piano is warped electric bass. Notice how the electric bass does not overlap the loudness of the soft piano. Electric bass is overlapped by a soft piano, claves, hi-hats, and cymbals.
Crushed uses more louder percussion and beats than Passout or Mode Dub. Breaks are used throughout several places in this song. The loudness of this song is what stands out.
Passout uses more Afrocentric percussion than Mode Dub. This song uses medium bass over fast paced electronic synths. Breaks are used throughout several places in this song. The song is similar to a song you would expect to hear from Bambounou. That makes sense because song utilizes the tech house sound and uses Afrocentric percussion.
4/5****!
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MC PEACE - Whispers From The Ghetto demo album review
MC PEACE - Whispers From The Ghetto where conscious hip hop meets the sounds of gangsta rap and spoken word poetry. The album is filled with political consciousness and social awareness thrown in with the street savvy sounds of gangsta rap from the ghetto streets of Flint, Michigan. Parts of this album are filled with positive such as Respect Her which is about how men should respect women and treat them in the best way possible. Some songs on this album have a bit of dance music incorporated into them such as Grip That Bottom and Bedrock which are backed by uptempo 808 beats.
MC PEACE - Whispers From The Ghetto is a long lost forgotten album from Flint rap and from the 90s that was overlooked by the likes of The Dayton Family, MC Breed, Top Authority, DFC, Jake The Flake, Bootleg, and Shoestring. Gangsta rap and pop rap were on the rise at the time leaving conscious hip hop to become overlooked.
This album was recorded at Silver Sun Studios in Flint, Michigan between 1991 and 1993. The album was released on cassette only in the year of 1993. Design and artwork was done by Disc Makers. Now the demo version is more lo-fi with a reduced volume used in the settings.
(MC PEACE is actually from Detroit but lived in Flint for a while.)
Peace 2 Da Joker is about the multiple personalities of MC Peace. The song uses multiple layers of drums and beats. Eerie synths are placed above the beats.
You would never equate Peace to a beast. His life would be gone if he were schizophrenic. He would be known as a psychotic, neurotic individual. One minute he might be sane, the next minute he might be crazy. You’ll never know what he’ll do next. He’s always going to far.
Classical music meets the sounds of violent gangsta rap on Or G It Might Be.
The beginning of Or G It Might Be uses the sample fo Ludwig van Beethoven - Für Elise. Ludwig van Beethoven - Für Elise is the most the notable sample that used on the 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.
The story PEACE is telling is full of violence. He has to be more personal on this song because it might be you. His rhyme millimeter is fully loaded. He is tired of explaining things over and over again. He tries to be blunt. MC PEACE gets lyrically violent. What’s the logic behind the murders and homicide? Is it pure anger? Is it deprivation from success?
The moral to this story is that anything bad can happen to anyone at any given time. To sum it all up, it might be you.
MC PEACE switches things up on How Many Keys by rapping in a Jamaican Patois accent. Reggae meets rap on How Many Keys.
MC PEACE is at his house, sitting up on his couch relaxing watching a VHS tape of Motown’s 25th at a quarter after 5 o’clock. He has an hour left to waste before has to have a meeting with JMC. He slips into a come while relaxing on his couch. Somehow he ended up on Dayton Ave (Dayton Street) where there was looters on every corner. Raheen Peterson (Shoestring) for The Dayton Family comes before him. MC PEACE and members of The Dayton Family start exchanging a conversation. They ask him the question of “How many keys can you cut?”
MC PEACE be cutting up keys. It’s nothing like that powder substance you shoot up your nose. It’s nothing like the drug fiends have injected through their veins. He’s dropping straight knowledge. He’s selling his dope albums.
Oui On is about where MC PEACE came from. He raps about the hardships of being raised in the ghetto and overcoming poverty. The song samples the slow tempo song Computer Love by Zapp.
MC PEACE came from the ghetto of Flint, Michigan. Times were hard for him when he grew up in the ghetto. When kids were out playing with their friends, MC PEACE was thinking big by dreaming of having riches. People told MC PEACE that he wasn’t going to get out of the ghetto. He concentrated on his education unlike most children. For him it was college and not the road to penitentiary. Peers would hurl insults such as “geek” and “nerd” at him. It seems that for years that was the only words he heard. He ignored all the insults thrown at him.
Grip That Bottom is a hyped up Miami bass style rap cut backed by 808 beats. The cut is clearly influenced by the Miami bass sound and Uncle Luke hence the fast pace. Miami bass meets the provocative explicit sounds of sex rap. Grip That Bottom is about grabbing a piece of someone’s ass hence the title.
Grip That Bottom samples Tag Team - Whoomp! There It Is, 69 Boyz - Tootsie Roll, Nemesis - Drop Tha Bottom, and Freak Nasty - Da Dip.
Nikki is about the different types of females that exist in the hood. They come and go. Not every female is the same. Each female has their own personality.
Crack Addict combats the issue of cocaine addiction.
The news media paints a picture that mostly black people are cocaine addicts. Very often, the news media plays into the stereotype of that black people are the only ones that are crack addicts. News media has people brainwashed to believe that false stereotype. Cocaine addiction is not limited to just one race. Anyone can have a cocaine addiction.
People who are addicted to cocaine use the substance to kill their pain. Poor and homeless people are not the only ones addicted to crack. An addiction to crack addiction can happen to anyone regardless of income bracket. Upper class people who have a crack addiction are often overlooked by the news media. When rich people use crack or have an addiction to crack, that often gets overlooked by the news media sadly. Unfortunately society turns the other cheek with this. Starvation is a problem in the ghetto. People are often hungry from a lack of food.
Cocaine comes from the country of Colombia and ends up in the United States. Miami receives the cocaine first since the metropolis is a port. Then the cocaine gets dispersed to the rest of the country.
Whispers From The Ghetto is about the grim realities and life in the ghetto. Whispers From The Ghetto has a negative vibe with a mournful mood. A delicate piano playing in the background adds to the mournful mood of this song.
MC PEACE awakens at 3 AM in the morning to keep his windows open. The night is dark and the moon is bright. To his surprise, a crowd of people form on his street. Somebody is lying dead in the street. He wonders how society ended up having such a negative mentality. Suddenly he heard sirens. Whoever it was is going to jail for selling the illegal substance of cocaine. The person selling cocaine is from the ghetto and has no money. Of course this person does not care who he ends up hurting. Death is something you can’t run from when living in the ghetto.
The night is windy. MC PEACE can smell someone burning crack cocaine from around the block. They don’t give a damn. They feel that is the life they have been given as they are from the ghetto. The people who live outside of the ghetto won’t do anything to fix or solve problems which plague the ghetto.
Respect Her is about how men should respect women and treat them in the best way possible. This rap song was much different from the misogynistic gangsta rap songs of the 90s because this rap song is about how men should respect women. Respect Her is a breath of fresh air from the usual misogynist rap songs.
The song Respect Her can also be found on his debut album from 1992 called A Day In The Life.
Respect Her starts off with 80’s styled electric bass synths. A voice can be heard whispering in the background. The beat quickly picks up. MC Peace tells men to respect women and to treat them in the best way possible. By simply cashing for her and showing her love is a way to respect her.
However women sometimes rebel against men respecting them by putting up a challenge. Communication backed up by true understanding is the solution to a relationship that is so demanding. Remember, patience is a virtue. That will hurt you if you forget MC Peace’s advice.
Don’t disrespect her by talking to other females on the phone. She is your best friend as she has always been through thick and thin with you. Romantic evenings and soft music should be a way of life for the one who treats you right. Be her fire and whatever else her heart desires. She will go on to admire another man if you don’t pay attention to her.
Wisdom and knowledge are keys to a strong romance. Respect and love are virtues your should give a chance for.
The last part of this rap song is strictly for women only. Forgiveness is a quality you have to have when you accept apologies. Compromise is the way to end a broken heart. If your man is too far gone, then it’s time to make a fresh start. A sense of hope is something that will make you strive and thrive.
What’s The Logic deals with logic of irrationality. The song is an original eerie rap song performed by MC Peace. The song is laced with sonic low bass.
At the beginning of the song, MC Peace explains how his rhymes are like a bomb. His lyrics are a deadly weapon in this song of his. MC Peace can no longer hold back. His rhymes are a bomb. He’s going to let off like a bomb. You’ve just set him off. The detonator has clicked. His rhyme just went off. The bass line will make you think that you have taken him to the brink. He wonders how things would be if he were a lunatic.
Him and JMC make no move unless it consist of logic. People harm others to live more comfortably whether it be physically or mentally. What’s the logic in that? Where’s the logic? Something so extreme will make you see fatality. MC Peace promotes living a positive life instead of a negative life.
Sacabuda is the song which calms the album down. Sacabuda is a sack of bud which in turn is a reference to marijuana. To each their own.
Rhyme Millimeter is the MC Peace answer to Boogie Down Productions - 9 Millimeter. The song is the Flint answer to 9 Millimeter. MC PEACE gets lyrically violent on this song. The song uses a hodgepodge of various samples and sound effects.
Bedrock is a funky upbeat Miami bass style rap cut backed by 808 beats. The beats will make you move your feet. It’s one of those cuts to dance to. MC PEACE hypes up the cut with his lyrical raps.
This ain’t Uncle Luke or Magic Mike. This is MC Peace. He’ll give you what you like. This is the type of cut that will hype your butt. It’s one of those cuts to dance to and will make you want to move your feet. Step into the COPA on a Saturday hoping that MC Peace and JMC are there. He’ll hype it up for you. The ladies go into a hype mood when they listen to another hype groove.
MC Peace gives the nightclubs of Flint a shoutout and pays tribute to them. For instance, he makes reference to COPA, Hot Lounge, Hammer Droppers, and Hot Rod. COPA, Hot Lounge, and Hot Rod get mentioned the most here. (COPA is the COPA Club.)
Music genres of hip hop/rap, R&B/soul, and dance are incorporated into a single mix on the song Soul Funky. Soul Funky is also where soul meets funk. A hodgepodge of samples are used throughout the song. Soul Funky is notable for its usage of multi-layered instrumentation.
Samples used in this song are The D.O.C. - It’s Funky Enough, Ohio Players - Funky Worm, Brick - Dazz, and Michel’le - No More Lies.
You did see PEACE coming as he came through the back door. He steps up to the mic by rapping positive lyrics. He tests his skills on the mic. Take a look and see what’s going down. People are dancing to the funky rhythm of the music. Funk is what they want, so funk is what they’ll get. The funk will have a hold on your soul.
Flint Town is the town where everybody parties and gets down. Positive rhymes with a hardcore edge is what MC PEACE raps. It’s hard to say somebody bought a record filled with negativity for the funk. It’s time for positivity to creep up on the hip hop scene.
PEACE Made of Stone is a song which deals MC PEACE’s deadly escapade when walking home from work in the snow. The song also deals with workplace drama and the struggles of being employed. There are risks you take when you work for somebody. The boss and managers are the ones controlling the machine of your employment. MC PEACE tells his story on PEACE Made of Stone.
PEACE Made of Stone can also be found on his debut album from 1992 called A Day In The Life.
The story started once upon a time. It was 1 AM at night at his workplace. Everybody, except MC Peace and 3 other people, had already left work. They had just finished closing up. MC PEACE called someone over the phone to pick him up so he can go home. The manager fronted him. She asked him if was going to able to make it home. He tells the manager yes. On his way out the door is when he realized it was snowing. The blizzard had gotten worse.
Nobody was there to offer him a ride home. They were heartless. After an hour, MC PEACE realized he had more to walk. Temperature outside was -7ºF below. The right side of his face was frozen from the cold weather. A feeling of failure came over him. The though of heat motivated him to keep walking in the snow.
MC PEACE seems 3 people inside of parked Corvette. The Corvette begins to follow MC PEACE. The car passed of ahead and made a u-turn. In less than 3 seconds, the car is parked. One of the 3 people is right by his side. His heart continued to beat at a rapid pace. One of them put a gun up to his face. Out of the corner of his eye is where he sees two more cars coming. MC PEACE has no chance of running in the snow. Somebody hit MC PEACE hard but he did not feel the hit. He fell onto the ground.
He starts taking off his leather coat. They took all the money from his pockets. He would have been glad if all they took was his money. But instead they stayed around to beat him without a doubt. One of them hit his head with a blunt object. They left him with an empty bag of clothes of what he had on. MC PEACE woke up on a different street from where he was knocked unconscious. All he had on was slacks and a shirt.
He makes it home miraculously. His brother came to him and could not believe what he saw through the sight of his own eyes. His brother took him into the bathroom. MC PEACE stares into the mirror only to start crying because the pain is much clearer. There were cuts and bruises all over his face. He felt like a disgrace.
His brother calls up 2 of his friends to take MC PEACE to the hospital. The doctor told him he would be okay if rested for a day or two. The doctor gave him antibodies for his face. Whatever pain MC PEACE was feeling would soon be gone.
The message of this song is MC PEACE is made of stone and will heal quickly. That is if he seeks proper medical treatment.
Hip The Slipper is a song from his 1992 album A Day In The Life. This version uses reduced volume on a lower setting than the original. Hip The Slipper is one of his lesser known yet popular songs.
5/5*****!
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Beryl Moreland & Darryl Kennedy - Last Call album review
Beryl Moreland & Darryl Kennedy - Last Call is a smooth subtle jazz hop album where the sounds of hip hop and jazz both each other in a blended nature. The sounds of jazz hop are always perfect for a lone cold night. Who knew that such a wonderful smooth jazz album would from Milwaukee, Wisconsin?
The upright bass on On The Edge gives the song an upbeat swing jazz vibe. Layered on top are multiple layers of instruments such as a saxophone ensemble, small bongo selection, a quadruple-layered horn selection, and some acoustics. An electric guitar is used in various places.
Black Ice driven by a heavy kick drum and relaxing melodic chimes over a G-Funk sound. Jazz and hip hop meet the sound of G-Funk on Black Ice. A powerful horn selection is used in the song.
Reggae meets the sounds of hip hop and jazz on the song Reggae Machine. The choice using an element of reggae was truly different and unique on a jazz hop album. It’s not too often you get to hear a reggae song on a jazz hop album. Reggae Machine uses a mean saxophone selection over melodic grooves. The melodic grooves are what stand out.
5/5*****!!
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Honey Smugglers - Listen EP review
Honey Smugglers - Listen is an indie rock EP overlooked by many. The sounds of indie Brit rock are truly calming. This whole EP has a fantastic sound. The EP was released on The Cure’s label Non Fiction Records in 1990 inside the United Kingdom (UK) on 7” vinyl and 12” vinyl.
Listen is a calming indie rock song with a melodic groove. The song is backed by a Hammond organ. A Hammond organ accommodates the melodic groove. Listen was composed and written when the Hammond organ was fashionable again. A Vox Continental organ is used to filter out the groove.
The drumming is a bit of a hi-hat crossover. The drumming will leave you to be truly amazed. That’s how amazing and intense the drumming is. No snares were used as many people believe. However two cymbals were used underneath the multi-layered instrument background. Listen very closely and you’ll hear the cymbals in the background.
Blind is a brilliant retro rock song that did not receive as much attention as the title track did. Blind should have gotten more attention. This song has a more louder instrumental presence than Listen as the volume has been turned way up.
4/5****!
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