Kansul
Everything
By
Kansul Culture
Many of you will be familiar with Dweller, Kansul and the
Live from the Groove label. You might also be familiar with the Kansul Culture
EP which dropped back in September of 2022; this album is the follow to that EP
and expands on their creative flow.
Now, the easiest way for me to set up the review is to drop
Dwellers own words on this project:
Kansul Culture is a concept born in lockdown by Dweller
and Kansul. Following the Kansul Culture EP this LP presents a walk through the
mind of Kansul, an anonymous M.C. who keeps his identity hidden behind a mask. Unplugging
from modern society where social media followers are currency and algorithms
impute value to art, Kansul Culture is the antithesis and antihero. As fiercely
individual and unique as it is rebellious and creative, this album refuses to
be pigeonholed. Switching lanes between genres as easily as Kansul switches
from spoken words and rhyming to singing, you should sit back and prepare for a
journey into the souls and minds of these two immense talents. Recorded in
lockdown, Dweller would patiently craft the beats in isolation and await Kansul
to send down vocal files which were slotted into each track as the album came
together. Then DJ Simon C and TMB would record cuts and fire them over to be
layered on top as the collective worked together remotely but connected by the
creative project. When restrictions finally ended and in-person collaboration
was possible, A. Lofthouse visited Dweller’s home studio to play Brass sections
over selected tracks and the project was complete.
All that considered, there is only one way to truly feel
this project, and that is to dive into the album. So, please join me as we look
to Kansul Everything…
The first thing that you get a sense of is the multi-layered
sound and all the elements that come together to on this album. Anymore kicks
things off with a soulful sounding vibe that has drum, guitar, strings, keys,
and cuts, all combined bring that soulful sound but, still with the Hip Hop
roots. The static sound that crackles in the background gives the impression
that you are immersing yourself in a vinyl release. Kansul switches between
slick rap vocals and a sung hook as he introduces us to who he now is, not
question things anymore but, more living in the moment and making that a
statement. Bad D.N.A has this emotive sound that comes from a melodic
beat over which is this organ sound, which has an almost eerie quality, while
this ticking cymbal sound cycles through your awareness, keeping you from
drifting too far. The emotive aspect
works so well as Kansul speaks on misspent youth, where the focus is on power
and money, and the choices made in that pursuit so often take people down the
wrong path. A head nod beat mixed with keys, xylophone, horns, and bass are the
foundation for Lessons, which creates an uplifting vibe. Kansul’s
cleaver lyrics, even switching to a ragga sound on the hook, to deliver a
message, line by line, that relates to each lesson as it is detailed, bringing
each lesson alive in your mind, and making you realise that you never stop
learning on your life’s journey as every person and situation has something to
teach you.
Not Listening brings more xylophone, bass, and horns
that brings this chilled jazzy vibe sound. This is one of those you wanna sit
back, close your eyes, and relax to. Kansul, once more, switches from sharp rap
vocals to a more soulful sung hook. This one is very much a look at those
people who have much to say but have never really listened throughout their
life. To have an opinion on anything, you have to be some level of
understanding and, or be prepared to listen and learn, don’t allow the lessons
that life teaches you to fall on deaf ears; be openminded and ready to take the
message onboard and grow, if you do not you will end up hollow and without a
real voice. Next up is the short Kansul Culture (Interlude), a proper
head nod beat with organ notes that looks at what the Kansul Culture is.
Strings form the background to No Rest before the beat drops in giving
you a laid-back head nod vibe. There is deep message here that really says that
not matter how you seem to that closest to you, if you spend too much time dabbling
in a dark life there will be no rest for you. There also seems to be a deeper
message that asks you to question and look at who you truly are, because only
by doing that can you express and receive positiveness in your live.
Nobody brings a sound that puts you in mind of summer
days and jams, with chilled drums and keys there is a laid-back funk vine to
this one. As you listen to this one you really get the sense that this one
speaks to you on another lever, telling you that we are all equal, no one is
better than anyone else. We might have different skills but, we all do our best
to live our lives the best we can and that is what makes us equals. Heavy drums
and piano vibes give a heavy sound for Lost Soul, making you want to punch
the air as you listen, until the sung hook brings a slight melodic break. Here
Kansul is able to go in full in full lyrical flow; bringing the soul back to
the music where it is so often missing. There is the sense that the commercial
music scene and making money is what really stole the soul and now it’s all
about bringing that soul back. A chilled drum beat, keys and strings bring a
nice mellow sound that puts back into a kick back vibe on Revolving Door.
Kansul once more mixes his sharp rap vocals with a sung hook. Here he looks at
how so many of the experiences we go through seem to have a similar cause and
effect, giving us this feeling like we’ve been through this before but, maybe
not with the sample people, it’s just the way things play out seems so similar,
just like we occasionally get stuck in a revolver door, just for a while before
moving on…
The penultimate track, which begins the process of bringing
the album to a close is All Said And Done, a looped music box melody
alongside soft strings, horns, and sparce beat creates an emotive sound that
seems to touch your heart. Kansul mixes his rap vocals and sung elements to
great effect here, creating a vocal vibe that emulates the music. The message
here comes with this reflective air that speaks on life, how we live it and all
those challenges we experience along the way; how we see our life and the
choices we make is so important too. This track has an almost counselling
effect to it, touching the very depths of your soul and reminding you just who
you truly are and to always be that best expression of yourself. The album ends
with No Place To Go, a jazzy sounding outro of horns, strings, guitar,
and an upbeat drum sound. The sampled vocals hint that this is the end of the
road and there is no place to go now but, it’s only a hint because this is only
the end of the album and not the end of everything; I guess that where you go
from here depends on your experience of what you just heard, you can put more
music on or just sit and muse over what you just heard, It’s all up to you…
An album like Kansul Everything, gives you much to
ponder as you reflect on what you just heard. On one side you have the fact
that this is a journey into the mind of Kansul who brings his experiences and
his own thoughts on life, to bear on this album, taking the listener to many
different places and allowing them to experience many emotions along the way
but, on the other hand, what Kansul does is to give you enough information to
also look inside yourself too so, as much as this is an album about Kansul, it
is also an invitation to look into a mirror that reflects you own life back at
you.
Kansul does not do this alone however, and Dweller crafts
some soulful and emotive soundscapes that, not only provide the perfect
platform for Kansul’s words but, these are musical emotions that help create
that audible mirror for you look into and to feel everything as you progress
from track to track. The fact that this was all put together during the
lockdown period and only finished off later, makes you realise just how amazing
music is and how it can bring out the best in people, during the process of writing
and recording, even though Kansul and Dweller were miles apart, and how they,
by putting their heart and soul into this, are able to have such an effect on
the listener.
Kansul Everything might seem like a jazzy, funky, conscious
Hip Hop album but, it is more than that, it is a genre and vibe breaking album that erases
the borders between genres, time and space; bringing a sound and narrative
created by two that is so easily associated and enjoyed by the many.
My thanks Dweller for allowing me the chance to bring you
this one.
Kansul Everything is out today, digital only, on Live
From The Groove and when you download the album from Bandcamp you will receive
the bonus remixes: Revolving Door (Kista Remix), Anymore and No Rest
(Remixed by Kuartz) and Bad D.N.A (DJ OP1 Remix), so what more of an
incentive do you need to grab a copy…
On that note,
I’m out, see ya…
Steve.
LINKS
Get you copy from Bandcamp Here:
https://livefromthegroove.bandcamp.com/album/kansul-everything
Live From The Groove Website:
https://www.livefromthegroove.com/
Live From The Groove Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/livefromthegroove/
Kansul Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/kansul_music/
Live From The Groove Linktr.ee:
https://linktr.ee/livefromthegroove
No comments:
Post a Comment