Infinite Sounds UK: Album Review: Shadows by Conscious Route and Supermann on da Beat

Shadows

Conscious Route & Supermann on da Beat

Shadows is the latest release from Conscious Route and marks his debut collaboration with producer Supermann on da Beat. The album was released a few months back now and well overdue having the Infinite Sounds UK treatment.

If you are a regular visitor to the blog then you will have seen my previous reviews for Edinburgh based emcee Conscious Route, LostRoutes (with True Note from 2021) and Belterz (2023), if not then feel free to check those as well. Both of which have received high praise from the likes of The Scotsman and The Skinny Magazine. His recent releases such as Trojan and The Sensory EP have received worldwide airplay from the likes of DJ Shorty, Rapstation 365 Radio, BBC 6 Music and the legendary Chuck D. His music has also been named among the Herald’s top 100 Scottish tunes in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2024. On the live stage he has supported the likes of Dead Prez, Onyx, and Jeru Tha Damaja, to name a very few.

This is the first time that I have heard production from Supermann on da Beat and so it is only right I introduce you to him. Sanjeev Mann aka Supermann on da Beat is a Scottish based disabled South Asian producer. He brings a unique blend of influences to his production that includes bands like Nirvana to artists such as Kanye West, Nas, and XXXTentacion, to bring a fresh perspective to the UK scene. He learnt his craft while studying YouTube videos on music production during the Pandemic. This has led to a somewhat meteoric rise in Scotland’s Hip Hop scene and seen him collaborate with artists worldwide such as Chef The Rapper, Genesis Elijah, Mic Righteous, Krudd The Guru and Rockie Fresh. He has hit some huge milestones including a BBC Documentary and 6 entries on BBC Introducing, leading to becoming on the UK’s hottest upcoming producers. 2024 saw him release his debut solo project, which drew on spoken word and grunge to address issues facing disabled people. He has performed at events like Wide Days and New School Rules. His work to highlight the under-representation of disabled artists has led to a vital campaign to make venues fully accessible, and appearing on BBC Scotland, STV, Daily Record and BBC Radio 4.

The Shadows album was born, initially, from a loose promise from Conscious Route to collaborate on a track with Supermann on da Beat. However, although both were working on other projects, this grew into a handful of tracks recorded together and now the full ten track album which reflects their personalities and life experiences, Conscious Route with his often personal lyricism and Supermann bringing production that brings a soundscape that encompasses classic Boom-bap, trap, R&B inflected Hip Hop and more.

They have kept guest appearances light on the album with Stirling’s Pro Focus, Edinburgh’s Bridget Quinn, Glasgow’s P Caso, Milla, and Johnny Cypher (Glasgow), featuring on just four tracks between them. There is also an appearance from Jabbathakut on the album’s title track. This is done to bring a sense of community to the project while also highlighting both Conscious Route’s and Supermann on da Beat’s work with both local and up-and-coming artists, something that is frequently overlooked.

So, with all that said you now have a good introduction in what’s about to come, and now I invite you to join me for a deep dive into Shadows…

Super Smooth kicks things off on the smooth tip with chilled out vibe of piano, guitar, and horns over a laid-back beat, giving you a subtle head nod sound that makes you listen more intently to the lyrics; here we find Conscious Route opening up by taking a few shots at the music industry. You get this real sense that this is like friends sat round speaking on their experiences of the industry and how its set up to properly support the up-and-coming artists to actually make a living from their craft, but more to support the platforms that ‘promote’ the music, and I use the term Promote, loosely. Pro Focus joins us for Fashion as Supermann on da Beat switches things up with acoustic guitars and a trap beat that brings a vibe that claws at your nerves a little. The switch up in beat see’s Conscious Route and Pro Focus trading bars and tweaking their flows to match the sound. That quick-fire vocal style gives a challenge to feel the message here but, there is this feel that there is this vibe that looks at the lack of originality out there right now where there is too much being said that panders to what people want to hear without really saying anything of significance, there is a distinct lack of authenticity being shown and that produces a hollow sound with no substance, just going with the current trend. Plastic Bag opens with a vibe that seems to envelope your mind, closing in on you but, the production shifts throughout which never lets you settle long enough, like sitting on a slowly spinning round-a-bout in a dark room. Conscious Route does a superb job of switching his flows to the changing sound, the inferred darkness in the sound also comes through in the lyrics which seem to mirror the tough times we live in and how struggles of making a living can play with your mind as you constantly search for ways to survive or perhaps looking for a way out. Whatever you get from this track there is a deep emotive edge that permeates everything from the first beat to the last bar. Piano notes open Dubplate before another trap beat drops in giving this one more pace but, again, the production shifts across the track testing Conscious Route once more, taking the opportunity to flex his wordplay skills, giving us a demonstration of his versatility. There is an energy and perhaps some venom in this one that gives it a vibe that comes from a higher plane, speaking to you in a way that impresses the words directly into the subconscious. We move towards the mid-point of the album with the title track, which features Jabbathakut on the cut. Shadows has a head nod vibe to it which comes from the beat but, there is this organ sound which grabs at your awareness, holding your attention as the lyrics are impressed on you. Here Conscious Route spins some intricate wordplay that at first might just seem like a slick display of those words but, the more you listen, the more you realise that this is so much more than that with deeply personal insights that touch on how your own personal experiences have an effect how you grow as a person. But more than that it looks at how lived experience has such a deep impact on how we see the world around us, our own thoughts and how we cope with everything that comes from outside us but, also from within.

We move into the second half of the album with Purge, this sees Johnny Cypher join Conscious Route on vocals. Supermann on da Beat brings piano and string infused sound which has a classic head nod sound that is reminiscent of that 90’s Hip Hop vibe. Cypher and Route trade verses and bars that not only displays the versatility of their wordplay but also gives an insight into how they see their craft and scene they are a part of. Again, there is a deeply personal element to this that should not be overlooked but felt. Next up, Bridget Quinn and P Caso feature on Jazz Unsung. The piano takes the forefront over the beat, giving this the kind of jazz vibe that you can’t help but move to. This one is all about speaking on the sound of jazz music and those who brought and experimented with that sound, and while Conscious Route and P Caso school us intricacies and depth of Jazz, Bridget Quinn brings a quintessential soulful vocal that you can’t help but drift away to. This is definitely one to just sit back and vibe to. Safety brings a host of live instruments in to compliment Supermann on da Beat’s Production and something I always feel adds extra depth too. The sound here has a mix of influences from Hip Hop, RnB, and a sprinkling of trap too. This gives the whole thing a sound that has a reflective edge with an emotive air. Here Conscious Route brings one verse which serves as a bridge between the soulful vocals of Milla. The track which looks at love and relationships and the sad things that so often are apart of those relationships such as betrayal, heartbreak, and trust issues. This is one of those tracks that so many of us can easily relate to, and the emotive edge to the vocals makes it all the more so. We move into the penultimate tracks of the album, Overstood, where we find Supermann on da Beat bringing us a nerve jangling sound with a trap edge to it. The sound has an edge that seems to play havoc with your mind, or is that just my ADHD head? Here we find Conscious Route taking shots at the fake rappers out there and those who think that can make money off the back of Eminem, by being sound-a-likes or simply shouting their lyrics. This might be a short track but, it says just as much as the others. I mean, there are going to be times when rappers are ging to sound like others but, the key is to bring something new to the table, make your sound authentic and relatable, don’t just be like someone else because it sells. The final track of the album is Squashed, where Supermann on da Beat creates another beat that mashes up different influences and mixes them up and that drops a sound that seems to shatter what you thought was possible, which gives this one a sound that seems to be erratic but, on a stable base? Conscious Route gives us some more intricate wordplay that serves to gives us an insight into the fractured mind where everything can appear stable and sane but, can change in an instant…

Shadows is an album that you cannot label as one genre. Yes, it has its roots in the Hip Hop sound but, it takes that sound and steps outside the box with it, then infuses a wealth of other influences with it and returns with a finished product that encapsulates the definition of the experimental nature of music. What that does is to bring a diverse range of fans, a sound that is not going to be out of place in many different circles. This is a highly listenable album where, even the bits you might not be a fan of, don’t really seem to be out of place. I myself am not a fan of trap music, I find that high paced tapping, cymbal sound to take the focus away from what is underneath. However, here it has been done in a way that makes you feel that it just seems to work, where it has been placed, there is not feelings that it is too out of place, and, for me, that is an accomplishment.

I always enjoy the depth and the versatility of what Conscious Route does with his flows and his wordplay, mixing it up and deftly following the tone and pace of the tracks. His words have a complexity and depth of feeling that display a connection with himself and those who might be listening, in a way that has a deep spiritual side to it, and this is something that I feel we all need to hear more and more. Music that gives us a deep introspection and a direction to take that is so valuable for us all as we walk forward in a world that seeks destroy our oneness.

Having not heard production from Supermann on da Beat before now, I was suitable impressed with his ability to craft emotive sounds from such a wide range of influences, and for someone who has not been crafting beats for that long, in the grand scheme of things, he is to be commended for that. In fact, it does seem to be that he has a natural ability for bringing alive the sound that is the perfect platform for whoever is gracing the beats. I also salute him for bringing a spotlight on to disabled artists/producers. This is an area where there is not enough diversity in the music business and Supermann on da Beat is a beacon to those out there, showing just what you can achieve, no matter your disability.

Shadows takes a diverse range of sounds and focuses them on an equally diverse range of topics that anyone of us can associate with. It them delivers something them in one package that seems to go beyond it running time, making you feel you have been listening so something much longer. You also come away with a sense that you understand the true passion that went into making it, and the individual messages that each track holds.

Additional Shouts go out to the following:

Digital Dyer for the Artwork.

Chris Greive (Trombone) & Geoffrey Williams (Guitar) on Safety.

If you have not heard this yet then, it is well worth you giving your time to.

I give my humble thanks to Conscious Route for the chance to bring this one too you.

I’ll see ya next time.

Steve.

LINKS

Purchase and Streaming links Here:

Conscious Route - Shadows LP

https://trueholdrecords.bandcamp.com/album/shadows

Conscious Route Socials: