Album Review: The Wreckage by Create-A-Mess

 

The Wreckage

By

Create-A-Mess

 

The Wreckage is the hot new album on AE Productions out of Bristol and is brought to us from Create-A-Mess, otherwise known as the UK’s own, Jonny Cuba (Dynamic Syncopation, Soundsci).

Jonny’s pedigree as a producer on the Hip Hop scene, knows almost no bounds and has seen him work with the likes of Mass Influence, Chill Rob G, Apathy, EV.ON, Juice Aleem, Phi Life Cypher and a great many more besides. He formed Soundsci in 2009 with Ollie Teeba (Herbaliser) and Audessey aka Jack Jones (Mass Influence), and over time the crew would expand and see Oxygen and U-George come onboard for the releases like Soundsational (Ubiquity Records) and My Boosey Weighs a Ton (Cavendish Library). Emcee Supastition would also join the crew for their final LP, Walk The Earth (Fresh Pressings).

It was following this final release from Soundsci that Jonny would go on to help his Soundsci crew mates U-George, Ollie Teeba and Jack Jones on their solo projects. As time went by it was only right that Jonny should release his own solo project, and under the moniker of Create-A-Mess he has done just that. Utilising his bold and intricate production style and wealth of unheard beats, breaks and samples; plus, a stunning line-up of Emcees that include, J Scienide, Eddie Meeks, Ghettosocks, Nilla, Emskee, Jesus Mason, and his Soundsci brothers: Jack Jones, U-George and Oxygen, with all cuts and sctratches coming from Ollie Teeba.

Now, with all that considered, there is only one thing left for me to do, and that is to get into this one…

 

This album is eight tracks deep and kicks off with Clues which features Jesus Mason and Emskee on vocal duties. This one gets your head nodding from the get-go as the drum beat mixes with bass and other elements to give you this sound that you don’t just enjoy as Hip Hop but, it does seem to have this almost hypnotic edge to it. Jesus and Emskee trade verses and provide a solid display of wordplay that, as you listen to the metaphors and more, give you some clue as to their pedigree on the mic. Next, it is the turn of J.Scienide and Eddie Meeks to step up to the mic for Denmark Hill. Here we find Create-A-Mess getting funky with a slick mix of bass, keys, and strings over a nice drum beat that continues that unconscious desire to move to the sound. As you listen to the vocals on this one, there are plenty of references to driving, motion and just the passing of everyday life, which does make you think of the title and how this all works? Denmark Hill is a place in Camberwell, London, and the lyrics really put in that place, watching the world go by or being part of that rat race. From being rooted very much in the now, we wonder what’s next as Planet People, with Oxygen and Emskee, could keep us rooted here or take us elsewhere?  The deep sound that has guitar vibes taking the forefront over the beat, brings a sound that takes us beyond the confines of the planet but, leaves us observing from above. Oxygen and Emskee skilfully spin vocals that conjure up visions in your head of the past and present of the human race, or should that be the human races? This one makes you think of the good and the bad humans have perpetrated across its existence as the planet people. As those thoughts float around your mind, Thaddius III sees Thaddius Brown (U-George) join us on our journey. This one takes the beat down a few notches in pace as the beat, bass, keys, and Maracas, create this sound that takes your awareness down deep, while keeping just enough of your mind in the now to oak up the vocals. Thaddeus Brown spins metaphors around in your mind taking you to places you never thought you’d go but, its all rooted in the streets. Is this just one persons experience or a conglomeration of many, you decide or maybe Thaddius has already told you, you just need to listen a bit more…

Now, if you are listening to this on a physical copy, this will be the moment you flip it over to the B-Side, and if you are listening on digital, well just keep on listening because Fly Humans is up next with Canadian emcee’s Ghettosocks and Nilla. This one bursts into you ears with cuts and the kind of beat and sound that immediately gets your head nodding and your adrenaline and energy levels rising, quickly. It’s good to have Ghettosocks and Nilla back as they take us off into dark parallel dimension where its hard to know if this is where monsters dwell, or if this is just a description of your own mind. What is apparent is that this is Hip Hop of the highest order ya feel. Its now time for Jack Jones to make his first appearance on Pull Ya Card. The Beat, bass, cuts, and sonic vibes on this give it this funky sound that takes you out the atmosphere. While you are bouncing to the sound Jack Jones schools you to the finer points of wordplay, showing you how it should be done by a true emcee. So, sit back and enjoy this one, because right now its not about where you are, its where its at, and this is where it’s at. As we move into the album’s penultimate track, Emskee returns for Listen Son! Where the beat is funky, the guitars are funky, and the cuts are razor sharp. This one keeps the motion in body and the needle to the groove. Emskee has this voice that just takes you back to the old skool, and here he uses it to great effect as the Hip Hop elder who is offering up pearls of wisdom to the younger generation of up-and-coming emcees. The album ends with Grammaticals, which features Jack Jones and Eddie Meeks on the mic. This one keeps that deep funk vibe with a deep drum sound, alongside horns and bass. It really helps you focus on the vocals here with a vibe that puts you in mind of sitting in a smoky speakeasy, relaxing as the sounds pound and the lyrics infiltrate your mind. Here its all about how the words flow with all the metaphors and similes merging and creating the grammaticals.

 

The first thing that strikes you about this album is just how much of a pleasure it is to listen to. From top to bottom, every track has that vibe that just makes you want to move to the music. Not only that, but when an album has this kind of vibe about it, it just makes the whole reviewing and writing process a pleasure to as everything you want to say seems to flow, just as the music and lyrics flow.

Now, I might not have written so much about this but, that’s the beauty of this one, it is one of those albums where I simply need to set-up the listening experience for you and the album does the rest. You might say that about most, if not all albums but, there are those times when more just works and the times when less is more, and this is the latter of those two.

Every beat that Create-A-Mess has produced here has that pure Hip Hop sound. Yeah, there are elements of our sounds that come in but, that has always been the beauty of Hip Hop, in that it can incorporate elements of many other genres of music and then make it its own sound. It is plain to see that Jonny Cuba draws on his years of experience to produce something that has to be one of the stand-out Hip Hop albums of the year so far. Every guest emcee here are on their A game, dropping some incredible verses that highlight just how much of an enjoyable experience it must have been to write and record to these beats.

This gives The Wreckage an overall vibe that is well crafted and polished, plus takes the bar for 2025 and sets it at a high level and invites anyone to do better. Now, it might not have been meant that way but, it simply is just that good.

There is a saying that says, ‘You can never get enough of a good thing’, and that applies to The Wreckage. Across the eight tracks, this one clocks in at a little under twenty minutes, a runtime that feels more like an EP. Having said that, it is the shear quality of this release that sticks out. All eight tracks come packed with the kind of Hip Hop that makes you feel every once of the pedigree that comes from Jonny’s experience on the scene, and the same can e said of all those guest emcees, as everything here flows with vibe that says everyone worked together in perfect harmony on this one.

I can honestly say that this one should be on turntables, tape machines and playlists for a good while to come. It is also worth pointing out that Jonny Cuba also provided the Photography on the project with the sleeve design coming from Mr Krum.

The Wreckage was released at the end of January this year on Limited Vinyl, Cassette and on Digital. So, if you have not already checked this one, then I suggest you do so now.

My humble thanks to J at ae Productions for giving me the chance to bring this one to you.

 

See ya next time,

Steve

LINKS

Grab you copy of The Wreckage Here:

https://www.ae-productions.co.uk/shop

or

https://aeproductions.bandcamp.com/album/the-wreckage

Jonny Cuba Socials:

https://www.instagram.com/jonny.cuba/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086574421297

ae Productions socials:

https://www.instagram.com/ae_productions_uk/