Jonas Kopp – Ruda EP EP review
Jonas Kopp – Ruda EP is a perfectly pure techno EP which has those futuristic techno sounds, bitcrushed synths, and oriental sounding drums. Ruda is another breathtaking release from techno underdog Jonas Kopp. The whole EP is a beautiful instrumental techno soundscape. The EP was released as a digital download and vinyl in 2010 on the Curle Recordings label from Belgium.
Dangerous was the digital only bonus track on the Ruda EP. This song was not included on the vinyl edition. This song is absolutely perfect for the dance floor or lounge. Bitcrushed drums and light cymbals are the sounds you can expect to hear on Dangerous. Jonas Kopp is a genius when it comes to composing and arranging songs.
Mico is long of being anything mid tempo but not downtempo. The song is yet another upbeat song arranged and composed by Jonas Kopp himself. Some of the synths are stripped down by a delay feature. However the only difference is this song uses a mixture of shakers unlike the other songs on this EP and there are not any bitcrushed synths present. The tempo picks up rather quickly on this song. Those leads at the 4:20 mark are infectious but not too funky though.
The title track is considered to be a timeless classic by fans of Jonas Kopp. This is due to the infectious synths and upbeat tempo.
Flanter Filnger is a song perfect for the dance floor due to the upbeat tempo, infectious synths, and electronic techno soundscape. The beats ands synths are what really stand out. The synths are infectious and groovy. You can feel a buildup with the beats as the song plays.
5/5*****!!
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Jonas Kopp – Red Plented EP EP review
Jonas Kopp – Red Plented EP is the most dark techno EP to date. No other techno EPs such as this one exist in the field of electronic music. This EP is notable for Jonas' unique style. The Red Plented EP offers some of the best from techno music and electronic music.
BlackBird uses high quality electronic production sounds where the electro synths, glitches, and blips act as bird chirps on BlackBird. A matrix reverb feature is added in. There is a buildup placed in various parts of this song. The song is very dark.
Message From Solaris uses thick layers of drums and bass. You can feel and hear a buildup in the bass and beats as the song progresses. The thick layers of instrumentation give Message From Solaris a loud presence. Message From Solaris is surprisingly dark of course. Message From Solaris has a tempo of 130 BPM and is played in the D minor key.
Red Plented uses a chunk of bitcrushed distortion through a high pass filter over the obligatory heavy bass. The song follows the key of B♭ min which is B minor flat.
5/5*****!
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Blended Culture – Pile 'Em Up EP review
Blended Culture – Pile 'Em Up is a funky hip hop release from New Orleans that got overlooked due to the burgeoning sound of gangsta rap that was prevalent at that time. This EP uses the elements of funk, hip hop, and jazz in one recording. DJ Precise produced the whole EP himself.
The title track Pile 'Em Up is backed by a loud jazzy saxophone sample. The track uses an incorporation of jazz and hip hop thus creating a jazz hop sound. Only two samples are used instead of numerous samples as hip hop songs usually use.
Man With Da Phunk uses a mixture of funk and hip hop. The song has a funky flavor. The “man with da phunk” is never “faking the funk”. He riggedy rocks mics. He’s going deeper as he exploits and explores your mind as he drops the underground rhymes. He brags about how he is the best in a lyrical manner. The funky flavor is what he brings. Nothing but dopeness.
5/5*****!
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K-Maxx - Still Rollin album review
K-Maxx - Still Rollin is one of the most underrated albums to have been released from San Francisco, California. It’s a hip hop soul album that not receive the attention it truly deserved. It's the most slept on album from the Bay Area. Everything from soulful cuts to straight up gangsta hits are what’s on the album.
Get My Thoughts is similar to Teardrop - Tears of Remembrence in terms of sound due to the sample used. Get My Thoughts samples the classic soul song The Isley Brothers - Make Me Say It Again Girl (Part 1 & 2). He brings back that old school sound. He expresses his feelings on this song as he gets his thoughts together.
He fell in love once but got played like a sucka duck. K-Maxx had a gang of hoes, his music, and a truckload of game. He’s just a player in the game. That’s the way it has to be. People claim he’s making by the way he’s living. But most importantly he is stacking cash. Knocking boots (sex) comes with the territory. Golddiggers are another story. Sometimes he had to hustle. Funny how shit changes when a nigga’s making money. He’s got to get his thoughts together.
Rapping wasn’t his thing. He was all about making beats because he was a beat maker. K-Maxx makes those bumpin’ beats.
Sit Back has chill vibe due to the soft instruments used. The chimes, synths, and bass are what give Sit Back a chill vibe. Sit back, recline, and let the dosa fill your mind. This song is about getting high off of marijuana.
K-Maxx brings back that old school sound back again on Hustle. Hustle samples the 1982 song Diana Ross - Muscles. K-Maxx feels a shortage in cash these days. He has to get out of this situation. There has to be a solution to this problem. Still he keeps on striving in this game we call life for the hustle. The hustle is no joke.
I Feel It is similar to those jazzy hip hop releases from the New Breed label in the 1990s. Jazz meets hip hop on the song I Feel It.
5/5*****!!
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Soul For Real - Candy Rain album review
Soul For Real’s Candy Rain album has that smoothness and sultry R&B/soul singing that one would expect for a R&B/soul album which was released in 1995. Cover songs mixed with all original songs are what this album is composed of.
Soul For Real’s Candy Rain album was the most overlooked and underrated albums 1995. Their debut album was overlooked due to the success of their contemporaries such as Jodeci, Next, Intro, Bell Biv Devoe, Boyz II Men, and ABC. Their contemporaries were far more successful and had more corporate backing than Soul For Real did. Soul For Real’s debut album just got lost in the mix of many sultry 90s R&B/soul albums. Sadly Soul For Real has faded into obscurity and heir legacy of crossover appeal seems to have forgotten. Nevertheless Soul for Real's debut album had smooth, inspiring harmonies which ignite Candy Rain’s hottest moments.
Despite being lost in the mix of many sultry 90s R&B/soul albums, the album spawned two of the greatest R&B hits of 1995 which were Candy Rain and Every Little Thing I Do. Candy Rain was their most successful song to date and in 1995 as well. Candy Rain and Every Little Thing I Do are Soul For Real’s hottest song today. This led the album to sell over 5 million copies worldwide. The album ended up peaking at #23 on the US Billboard 200 charts and #5 on the R&B Albums charts. Their album went 2x platinum by September 1995.
Here are the reasons why Candy Rain was a blowout success and was properly promoted.
•Andre Harrell and Heavy D were very involved with the quartet. Both of them being “hands on” with the quartet is what led to their success.
•Andre Harrell knew how to properly promote Soul For Real due to their smoothness and radio friendly image. Soul For Real was known for their clean cut contemporary image. Their sound matched contemporary R&B/soul of the time their album was released.
•Having a good parent company for distribution, marketing, and promotion. MCA Records was the parent company of Uptown Records. MCA Records knew how to market and promote R&B acts better than Universal Records.
•The quartet knew how to sing and had crossover appeal.
•Heavy promotion of course which consisted of concerts and tours.
Candy Rain was regarded as the group's signature song due to the number of samples this song used, smoothness, and sultry singing from the quartet. The bass line is just perfect. Candy Rain is a spectacular 90s R&B classic with that New Jack swing sound perfect enough to dance to. The song is so 90s. That is the beauty in Candy Rain.
Heavy D and the production team Trackmasters produced Candy Rain. Heavy D also wrote Candy Rain. That is why you can hear his work all over the song. Other members of the quartet wrote portions of Candy Rain as well. Jason sang the lead perfectly. You can hear and feel emotion as he is singing. Jase was the lead singer of Soul for Real. He is best known for his leads.
Candy Rain was their most successful song to date and in 1995 as well. The song Candy Rain became a #1 hit single. Candy Rain spent 3 weeks at #1 on the US R&B charts and peaked at #2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 charts. By the end of 1995, the song charted at #25. Soon enough, the song Candy Rain became an international success after being heavily aired on radio stations in other countries. The song was
Candy Rain samples the following songs: A Tribe Called Quest - Check the Rhime, Grover Washington, Jr. - Mr. Magic, Chocolate Milk - Girl Callin, Bill Withers Jr. - Ain’t No Sunshine, and Minnie Riperton - Baby, This Love I Have. Elements of the beat are sampled from Chocolate Milk - Girl Callin.
The song starts off with a few dreamy strings which will stick in the back of your mind and inside of your memory for a long time. These dreamy strings will leave a memorable impact in your mind. These dreamy strings soon drop into a New Jack swing styled beat and medium bass. The quartet soon starts singing a smooth beautiful harmony. After Verse 2, the song transitions into a beautiful piano break. A string break comes in after that. This continues as the track gradually fades out.
Now the song may sound very much similar to a Skittles commercial due to the title. However that is not the case.
The song is comparing this girl to these “candy-coated raindrops”. The quartet describes how sweet she is. She is as sweet as these “candy-coated raindrops” and such. Not everyone has ever seen or felt raindrops that/which tasted like candy before.
These lyrics to Verse 2 describes finding the perfect girl for you. “I never thought that I would find/All that I need in life/All I want, all I need now, I know/I know I found it in you, I found it in you”
The song Every Little Thing I Do is notable for the beats selection along with its upbeat tempo and nature. The quartet gives the song an edge of smoothness. Every Little Thing I Do is one of those old school, skating rink type of songs. It’s one of those songs to dance to.
Every Little Thing I Do was the second single off the Candy Rain album which received as much radioplay as the title track but was not as big of a hit. While not as big a hit as “Candy Rain”, the song just about as much radioplay in the same amount of time. Every Little Thing I Do charted at #11 on the Billboard R&B chart and #31 on the UK Singles chart. The single got platinum status worldwide.
The song samples The Gap Band - Outstanding and Chocolate Milk - Girl Callin.
The song starts off with a couple of stingy electronic synths which will stick in the back of your mind and be stuck inside of your memory for a long time. These stingy electronic synths song drop into rhythmic beats. These rhythmic beats are actually bongos that you can hear playing in the background. Notice the rhythmic beats and percussion.
The song is about no matter every little thing you do, the person you love or admire is always on your mind. They are on your mind and that drives you crazy. You can't get over them. You think about that person all the time.
The chorus explains exactly subject matter for Every Little Thing I Do.
[Chorus]
You are on my mind
Every little thing I do, you're on my mind
The way I feel lately, it's driving me crazy
Every little thing I do, you're on my mind
I can't get over you, I think about you all the time
All In My Mind is about how getting a girl you want can’t really happen the way you anticipate. So it’s all in your mind. You’re wasting time. You should have known from the start. What made you think you would ever get a girl like her? Time and time again you find that girl is on your mind. The song All In My Mind samples The Crusaders - Covert Action.
If you want it, you can have it. Come and get it. That is what the song If You Want It is about. You’ve been thinking of giving her anything she want when she needs it. Because loving that girl comes easy. You want her badly to yourself. You’ve never met anybody like her. She makes you feel so good.
I Wanna Be Your Friend covers Stevie Wonder - Friend. You can hear some of that doo-wop sound and Motown sound in their lyrics and singing. Jason was the one singing the leads of course. Each member sings their own verse in this song.
Parts of the lyrics deal with reality of this world. Read some of these lyrics to understand.
Your world's movin' fast
But still ends up a bore
Hey boy don't feel my world's untrue
Yeah, I wanna talk to you
My world can be true
I wanna talk to you
Pick up my life at the table
Read about the way I could be
But I know I just ain't able
So I read about the real me
Who can I blame
For the way I am
I ain't never had one soul to help me
So I don't give a.......
Gotta woman that lov' me
Feed me beans ev'ry night
Twelve babies look up at me
Wid Big grey hungry eyes
Oh but I just can't complain
Jason did a spectacular job on singing the chorus and hooks of Ain’t No Sunshine. You can hear and feel emotion as he is singing his leads. Even as a 13 year old kid, you already tell Jason had that soul touch inside of his voice. That’s how beautiful his singing is.
In fact the whole quartet does a spectacular job of covering Bill Withers Jr. - Ain’t No Sunshine. You don’t often hear an R&B group cover a song as perfectly as the original version which is exactly what Soul For Real had done on Ain’t No Sunshine. Soul For Real does a spectacular job in doing cover songs.
[Verse 1]
Ain't no sunshine when she's gone
It's not warm when she's away
Ain't no sunshine when she's gone
And she's always gone too long
Anytime she goes away
[Verse 2]
Wonder this time when she's gone
Wonder if she's going to stay
Ain't no sunshine when she's gone
And this house just ain't no home
Anytime she goes away
Spend the Night is about a romantic night with a man, a woman, and a warm fireplace. So get warm and cozy. You’re invited.
The song takes place inside of a public place with a man and a woman who are a couple that dating. The man says to the woman, “Can we go? It’s getting crowded in here. I think it’s time we go home and spend the night alone.” So the man invites the woman to his house for a warm and cozy love making session.
He tells her, “Come on and spend the night with me tonight. We'll be making sweet love by the fire place. So get warm and cozy.” The woman reluctantly agrees to this.
Here is what else he says to her. “Girl, now we're alone. Let me take the time to show you how much you really turn me on. Come closer to me. I got some things on my mind. Why don't we spend some time?”
I Don’t Know is about not knowing where to go next when you’re in a relationship.
You don’t know where to go as that person’s love has really got a hold of you. They hold on you tight. Can't you see? You just don't know where you’re going. You don't know where to go without their love.
You are so lost and confused at times. You can’t even sleep at night. It’s so hard without that person in your life. It’s so hard to try to let go. You want this person to be back in your life. Of course you just want to get next to them, baby.
What stands out about this song is the break in singing which changes into an instrumental. Read the transcription to the lyrics of the song below to gain a better understanding.
I don't know (I don't know)
Where to go (Where to go)
Baby I, baby I, don't know
I don't know
Where to go (Where to go)
Baby I, baby I don't know
[break in singing, instrumental]
I just want to get next to you
I just want to get next to you
I just want to get next to you
I just want to get next to you baby
Baby I, baby I, I don't know (...know, know, know)
Soul For Real covers Patti LaBelle - If Only You Knew on If Only You Knew. The song takes place inside a fantasy of a shared romance.
A short 37 second piano interlude serves as the closer for the Candy Rain album. Of course the interlude is an instrumental. Heavy D made a great musical decision in choosing an instrumental song to serve as the closer for the album.
5/5*****!!
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