Vallejo - Beautiful Life album review
Vallejo - Beautiful Life was the sophomore album by Vallejo released on TVT Records in 1998. This Vallejo album showed a more improved sound leaning more into a mixture of hard rock and Latin rock with songs such as Classico and Me Ya Voy. The songs are just as deep from their self-titled effort. The album included hits such as Classico, Snake In The Grass,
Hola bienvenidos! This song is an invitation to the new Spanish Classico sound by Vallejo. So come on down and let Vallejo take you there into the new millennium. Latin meets rock music on Classico creating a Latin rock fusion. Live instrumentation accompanied the Latin rock song with Vallejo using a mix of the Spanish and English language on Classico. Classico was their hit single for 2000 also.
It was the Vallejo anthem of 1998 and 2000 for the Vallejo band. Especially the Spanish version of this song which they would play at their live concerts. Classico was a hit when Vallejo performed that song during their live concerts. Many fans instantly fell in love with that song afterwords.
The song Snake In The Grass is a mild-mannered rock song backed by a selection of guitars and percussion. The groovy guitars really stand out. DJ Hurricane mans the turntables and provides those raw vinyl scratches.
Snake In The Grass is a sneak tale about a sneaky snake in the grass. Look out for the snake in the grass. The snake sees you coming. Squeezing out the innocence you may have. He will get your ass. He slips into darkness as you’re standing there alone. The snake kills with no remorse or sympathy. The snake is all equal opportunity.
Once Again is coming back home to the person you love. The song is a Vallejo love song. It’s coming around all in your senses. You’re changing your fast ways. And soon you will be home once again. Back home to the person you love.
You know what the say. Opposites attract when it comes to loved. That’s something that comes up when people think about love. You trying to figure that person out. Figuring out the person you love is not going to be easy. Figuring out that person is going to be difficult. Love is something more than being friends. However that is not so bad.
The song is subtle and not too explicit. The lyrics in this song do not explain the raunchy side of sex. “That’s when you turn down the lights/And then you take me down…”
Naive is a song about being young and dumb. Everything you believe is not always true. The song has a theme distance due to lack of awareness.
4/5****!
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Ground Zero Featuring Bootsy Collins – Future Of The Funk EP EP review
The Ground Zero Featuring Bootsy Collins – Future Of The Funk EP is a funk and hip hop/rap collaboration put together by legendary funkster Bootsy Collins. Ground Zero was heavily influenced by P-Funk of the 1970s. That is why you can hear Bootsy Collins work all over this EP. Nearly all of these songs sample Parliament songs. No other funk group came funkier than Ground Zero in San Jose, California. Sadly Future Of The Funk was the only EP from Ground Zero. They split up after this release.
Lettin' Ya Know was their funky hit single which featured Bootsy Collins. Bay Area rap can’t get any better than this! Old school funk meets hip hop/rap on Lettin' Ya Know. That is why you can hear those funk breaks as the record spins. That is also why you can hear Bootsy Collins work all over this song.
Nuthin To It is upbeat funky rap song which Ground Zero kicks the funk off with. Nuthin To It sample Parliament- Agony Of Defeat.
Grim Reaper Prelude is where things get deep in the EP. The deep male voice who is Funk Upon A Time in the Zone Of Zero Funkatively tells us the Legion of Doom defined R&B music to have completely lost the beat of P-Funk and fallen victim to R&B release syndrome. That voice was telling us R&B was becoming watered down to commercial pop. Grim Reaper Prelude is basically a skit.
The Zone Of Zero Funkatively is where things get deep and upbeat to an Afrocentric beat in the EP. A tambourine helps accompany the Afrocentric beat you hear. The Zone Of Zero Funkatively samples Parliament - Mothership Connection (Starchild) and Parliament - Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker).
Lettin' Ya Know (P-mix) is a Parliament-funk influenced rap song which uses heavy influences of 1970s P-Funk. That is why you can hear Bootsy Collins work all over this song. Lettin' Ya Know (P-mix) samples George Clinton - Atomic Dog and Brides Of Funkenstein - Disco To-Go.
5/5*****!
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MC Twist - Bad Influence album review
MC Twist’s Bad Influence is what put San Jose, California on the rap map in the 1990s. MC Twist was the foundation for the rap music scene of this city. At that time, San Jose was known for being a technology hot spot rather than a musical hot spot. The album is laced with Miami bass and old school rap sounds with the usual gangsta rap. Sadly this album got highly overlooked despite being from the Bay Area. MC Twist being from San Jose didn’t help because San Jose was located in the Bay Area and was often associated with San Francisco.
Cold Chillin' In San Jo described MC Twist’s daily life. His lifestyle is planned day by day. Back in the day you could often MC Twist causing around San Jose in a red El Camino whether he was going to grab a bite to eat at Denny’s or going to scope out some fly honeys. The song also explains the death of his homeboy Quiz. For those who did not know, Quiz had died on impact from a gunshot in a scenario of random violence. He died before the song was recorded.
Cold Chillin' In San Jo samples Grover Washington, Jr. - Mister Magic and Slave - Son of Slide by Slave. Cold Chillin' In San Jo also uses the original sample of Dionne Warwick - Do You Know The Way To San Jose.
Cocaine Bizne$$ is about MC Twist’s drug selling escapades and how he manages to navigate around law enforcement. He boasts about how he is selling drugs in the game. Clearly there is no shame in his game as he is smart, slick, and is street savvy. Cocaine was the drug he sold as the song title indicates.
The song uses a looped sample of an electric guitar which plays funky diluted bass notes. The diluted bass is quite heavy. Cocaine Bizne$$ samples Boogie Down Productions - Illegal Business, Average White Band - Stop the Rain, The Turtles - I’m Chief Kamanawanalea (We're the Royal Macadamia Nuts), and Jimmy Spicer - Money (Dollar Bill Y'all).
The song Step Off deals with the violence aspect of drug dealing inside the drug business. Step Off is one of his more conscious songs off the album. Step Off was the song which relaunched MC Twist back into the national spotlight and music scene in the early 90s. However he only had minor success with song despite having a music video for the song being played on BET.
Step Off is a funky up beat dance rap song which hardcore lyrics and beats that will make you move your feet. Dance meets rap on Step Off. Step Off uses a chunk of P-Funk hence the Parliament sample. You can’t have San Jose funk without P-Funk!
BET used to air the Step Off music video on their channel back in the 90s. Sherry Carter was one of the models who licked MC Twist’s chest. The director was taken aback by this. The music video helped the song become a moderate hit with minor success.
Step Off by Wild Cherry - Play That Funky Music, Parliament - This Is the Way We Funk With You, and Rufus Thomas - The Breakdown (Live).
Mary Mack II revisits the song Mary Mack from MC Twist & The Def Squad - Comin’ Thru Like A Warrior. This song acts as a Part 2 to the original Mary Mack song. The song describes his zany escapades of flirting with females on the weekend. That is why the song has a funny mood.
Mary Mack II sampled Kraftwerk - Tour De France, Instant Funk - I Got My Mind Made Up (You Can Get It Girl), Bill Withers - Kissing My Love.
S-M-O-K-I-N-G C-O-K-E is San Jose’s take on Boogie Down Productions - Illegal Business, NWA - Dope Man, and Too $hort's "Girl”. MC Twist explains why he dislikes cocaine addicts in this song not so politely. He is displeased with coke heads. It’s one of those anti-drug songs also.
S-M-O-K-I-N-G C-O-K-E samples Gangstarr - Knowledge, Too $hort - Girl, and NWA - Dope Man.The sampled beat is a stripped down version of Gangstarr - Knowledge.
The Jokes On U (Hometown Critics) is about MC Twist shitting on all the critics in San Jose who told him he wouldn’t be able to make in music. Well the joke is on them because MC Twist managed to gain a record deal with Uncle Luke and get some national attention.
A Step Beyond is about MC Twist wanting to come up get and out of poverty in order to better himself. He has goals he wants to pursue. He doesn’t want to resort to a life of crime. A Step Beyond samples Salt N Pepa - Shake Your Thang.
Evrythangs Gottabfunky has that San Jose funk. It even has some of Bootsy Collins work sampled as well. Funk meets rap on this song. You can tell MC Twist was inspired by 70s P-Funk when he composed this song. Evrythangs Gottabfunky samples Parliament - Mothership Connection (Starchild), Lee Dorsey - Everything I Do Gonh Be Funky (From Now On), Maceo & the Macks - Soul Power 74, and Whodini - Escape (I Need a Break).
4/5****
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Universal Tongues – Silver Bridge EP EP review
Universal Tongues – Silver Bridge EP is one of the many overlooked tribal house releases in the electronic music market. While the EP lacks in track longevity, the Boston-based production group makes for in stunning instrumentation. They incorporate their deep house sound with a style of tribal house on this EP.
718 pays homage and tribute to New York City styled electronic music. The song is an instrumental backed a kick drum, bass, and angelic synths. Love That I Could Have uses processed disco beats over electrifying synths. A bit of tribal house is used hence the rhythmic bongos. Notice how the beats and drums follow a rhythm. The rhythm and tempo are fairly upbeat for the most part.
3/5***
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Nightsource – The Rise Above EP EP review
Nightsource – The Rise Above EP is one of the most relaxing electronic EPs out in the music market of San Francisco. Every fan of electronic music will not regret purchasing this EP. The beats are on point and not too filtered or distorted. Of course none of this is too shocking since the EP was released on one of the best electronic house labels in the world which is Naked Music Recordings. Electronic music from San Fransisco often gets overlooked due to presence of other electronic music powerhouses such as Chicago, New York City, Miami, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Detroit.
The beats on Don't You Wanna? are just as hard hitting and not filtered at all. The lack of filter on the beats is what gives Don't You Wanna? a raw organic house sound. Now the bass you hear is ultra thick and super heavy. Beats and bass are what make Don't You Wanna? beautiful.
Rise Above has such groovy vibes to the point to where you just want to get up and dance away to groovy deep house sounds. This is one of those songs which will make you want to play it again and again repeatedly on a daily basis. The beats on Rise Above are just as thick and extremely heavy as on the opener Don't You Wanna? However the cymbals seem to have a distortion sound effect used on them. Shakers blend in with distortion fairly well.
The beats Just Right are just as thick and extremely heavy as on the opener Don't You Wanna? The duo leans toward more using Afrocentric percussion on this song. The only missing on this song is vocals.
Sidewaze is a house classic that you can chill out and blaze a bowl to or smoke one to. Sidewaze is something to chill and relax to because the mood is very relaxing with a chill vibe. Your mind will drift into outer space and into another solar system. The percussion, looped vocal sample, and medium bass are what make Sidewaze relaxing. That is the beauty of Sidewaze in a nutshell.
5/5*****!!
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Kaskade - Keep On single/EP review
Keep On is one of the earlier singles in Kaskade’s discography that often gets overlooked by many fans of electronic house music. The dub house legend wrote and produced the entire single himself. The timeless classic Keep On and beat driven dub house song Strong are included on this single/EP. Kaskade gave house music a breath of freshness with his deep house sound. Keep On is the most overlooked electronic single from 2002.
Keep On was written and produced by Kaskade in 2002. Instrumentation for the track includes filtered heavy bass, Afrocentric beats, and futuristic sounding synths. The beautiful vocals you hear were performed by a female vocalist who went by the name of Joslyn. Now this song will become an instant favorite of yours because of the beautiful vocals, filtered heavy bass, and Afrocentric beats along with deep house sound Kaskade produces. Keep On uses a tempo of 128 BPM and is played in D Minor.
Strong is the beat driven dub house song that has that deep house sound. Kaskade is not only deep house. He was dub house in his early days. He uses a huge selection of Afrocentric drums such as bongos, congas, and timbales. Now this track is less vocal than Keep On. All these years later and the song never fails to disappoint. Strong uses a tempo of 130 BPM and is one the faster songs.
Keep On (Dub) is a dub house version of the song Keep On. The dub version has a heavier kick drum presence as the kick drum is much louder. Vocals in this version are stripped back and do not use the lyrics from the original version. Here the looped vocal samples are what make the dub seductive, intoxicating, and repetitive in one musical setting.
5/5*****!
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Aubrey Dunham – For Lovers Only album review
Aubrey Dunham – For Lovers Only is a smooth jazz album that is underground jazz. The mood is very relaxing. The album is perfect for relaxing with that special someone that you may love whether it be during the daytime or at night. Nighttime is a more preferable time to play this record. His album topped the charts in Europe for 5 years straight. Some of these songs are instrumental saxophone versions and renditions of popular love songs. His album was played on many jazz radio station shows all over the world. For Lovers Only was self-released on his own label, AD Records, in 1988. His album was re-released in 2005 on CDBaby.
Cleo's Back....again is Cleo’s Mood revisited as an instrumental saxophone version over 80s styled electro synths. Of course this cover is more jazzy than the original. Cleo's Back....again is a cover of Jr. Walker & The All Stars - Cleo's Back. This saxist creates a balanced level of ambiance in high quality format. You've Got to Get Your Thang Right uses more an urban hip hop sound than jazz. A turntable and electric guitar are used more than his saxophone.
5/5*****!
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R2M – Harder In 2003 EP review
R2M – Harder In 2003 is some dope astounding electronic house music from Dallas, Texas. You’ve got the hard acid sound mixed in with occasional breaks which are collected samples of different sound bits. The EP is perfect for the nightclub or dance floor. Electronic music from Dallas often gets overlooked due to presence of other electronic music powerhouses such as Chicago, New York City, Miami, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Detroit.
Ong Diggi is an upbeat acid track which uses heavy hitting beats over bitcrushed synths. A pair of bongos are added to the mix during the middle of the song. In a way this song is similar to Darude - Sandstorm. Ong Diggi was recorded and mastered at Silver Sun Studios in Flint, Michigan.
We Shall Overcome uses much heavier bass than Ong Diggi does. The bass notes are bitcrushed and are overlapped by electric synths with the occasional breaks. The occasional breaks are vocal samples. The track uses vocal samples of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech “We Shall Overcome”.
At Night is a beat driven electronic song backed by an ensemble of live drums and electronic beats over heavy bass. The beats are on point and not too filtered. The break is a warped electronic synth which starts playing during the 1:27.
To Love uses some intense electric synths and breaks over heavy bass. A tambourine helps make this song rhythmic. The beats are on point. Every fan of electronic music will love this song as it is perfect for the dance floor or a nightclub. The song is also a perfect DJ tool.
5/5*****!!
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LawnChair Generals – U Dirty EP EP review
LawnChair Generals – U Dirty EP is some of the best electronic music from Seattle. Nobody does cut-up electronic dubs better than these two brothers. The deep house sounds on this EP are astounding and truly phenomenal. Their production shines on songs such as One Thing and Wanderlust. The bass on these songs is quite heavy and will rattle your speakers.
One Thing follows a funky electronic groove to a fresh sound. The production is timeless and clean. Not to mention funky. One Thing samples The Jets - Rockets. The warm bass is quite heavy and will rumble your speakers.
Diggin It Out is a cut-up dub house classic with a deep house sound in high quality format. The song also has that heavy bass which house heads truly nourish.
Wanderlust uses a bit of tribal house, deep house, and dub in one setting. A set of bongos are used in the mix of the muffled cymbals. The song follows a funky electronic groove. This song will always be fresh. Now at the 4:18 duration mark is where the break kicks in. Overall Wanderlust is a cut-up dub which is truly a deep house classic.
5/5*****!!
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Mandala – High Noom EP EP review
Mandala – High Noom EP is the best electronic music from Germany. You know they say the best electronic music comes from Germany. Hard trance meets the sounds of progressive house and techno on this EP. Nearly all of the songs included on this EP are extremely fast and upbeat. Most of which play over a tempo of 160 BPM. The 90s was a truly fantastic era for trance. Mandala sure knows how throw down a good mixture of trance music in a single EP. Noom Records puts out the best in German trance music.
The Encore is a very fast hard trance progressive house song which uses a tempo of 160 BPM which is exactly the right speed for hard trance. The intro is just beautiful.
Toray is a very subtle acid house song with calming electric synths and electronic soundscapes that will put you into a trance. This is trance at its finest and best. Bits of vocal samples are sprinkled throughout the song. The synths are not as bitchrushed as the other songs. Overall Toray is a perfect rave song.
The Encore (Acid Remix) is just beautiful. You have bitcrushed synths over a flanger which pans from left to right on the speakers. Of course the tempo is extremely fast and upbeat. Mandala sure knows how throw down a good mixture of trance music in a single song.
5/5*****!!
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