Infinite Sounds UK: From The Soul by Pandamonium

From The Soul

Pandamonium

Album Review

Following the release of last years awesome cut and paste style album, Sample Everything, Exeter’s own Pandamonium is back with a new album for your listening pleasure. From The Soul takes that Panadamonium big boom bap style Hip Hop and puts it to good use on proper producers collaboration release that sees him bring in some of the UK’s most talented and up and coming artist’s to drop vocals over his signature beats.

Now the promo train for this eagerly awaited album has been steaming along at a steady pace for some time with a few single releases and pretty nice merch out there too.

So, without anymore waffling on my part let’s get straight into this album and take a look track by track at what Pandamonium has crafted for us:

The album kicks off in great style with one of the albums singles and features some trademark Pandamonium turntable trickery over a light-hearted but, energy inducing beat of Let Me Introduce Myself. This one gives us Panda himself dropping his own lyrics and taking us on quick journey through some of his defining moments, the sort of memories that make you who you are and are perfect way to introduce exactly who you are to the listener be they new to your sound or a long time supporters. If you were feeling a bit laid back after that first track then the alarm bell goes off in ya ears to herald The Wake Up, featuring KC on the vocals, this one switches the energy up a notch or two with a beat that really has that infectious style that makes you wanna move to it. KC skilfully schools us to what it is to wake up to things that are going on in your life, not only that but, it also kinda makes you realise just how music can wake you up and see things in a different light. Next we drift from waking up to kicking back and taking some time to just be with the soulful funk of Pass It Around, which has us rolled up, sparked up and smoked out by four talented emcee’s in the form of Costi, Blake Black, Jung Kasha and J Bezza (all winners of the cipher beat completion). So, hope you’re not feeling too laid back after that last track as now it’s the turn of one of the South West’s most famous to join the mix as The Scribes jump on Ugly. This one, another of the album’s singles, is a proper banger with a Jazzy feel and has a message you can take two ways. Firstly this is about Hip Hop music to its core being hard and a bit rough and ready and not the polished up commercial stuff that is out there. Secondly, as seen in the video for the track, it is all about being comfortable the way you are and in your own skin and not trying to be someone else by taking away that natural beauty by using cosmetics. In fact if you think about it the message of this track can be applied to so many things we see in day to day life. Now it’s time for the short musical Interlude 1 as Pandamonium reminds us what we are listening to and where it comes from over a nice chilled funky beat.

Mr Milver takes us back into the banging beats and this one is banging with a nice funky vibe that gets you moving. As the title suggests Milver, out of Oxford, guests on this one and gives us a wicked intro to who he is and why your gonna remember his name. Let em Have It has an almost fragmented cut n paste feel to it but, it’s heavy and really works with Caskie (from the Dusty Stragglers crew) dropping some crazy bars and a nice lyrical dexterity. It is also worth noting here that Caskie also provided some live drums for Pandamonium to cut up for the track. From there it’s in to another of the album’s single’s and also the title track From The Soul, featuring One Oz (Who needs no introductions) this one is a classic Pandamonium vibe with its heavy piano and rapid fire vocals from One Oz, this one ups the BPM and gives you vibe of the album perfectly. It’s all about giving the listener something that is straight from the soul, plain and simple and if your music doesn’t come from the soul then it will not speak to the soul of the listener, ya feel me! After that killer track it’s time just to kick back with another short deeply funky track that is Interlude 2, just giving your ears time for a short breather.

Tick Tock was also release as a single and features Sir Burbia (outta Somerset, my current stomping ground) on a proper head nod of a beat which speaks on time and the fact that everything we do in our lives is based around time and trying to pack so much into a day but, we also have to remember to take time to chill and do the things that we enjoy and that remind us of who we truly are. The next track is a personal favourite following its release as a single. The horn heavy beat really kicks hard and has some crazy energy to it. Plymouth emcee Calligraphy really delivers big time here making Over the Heads of Pygmies a real credit to this album. My People see’s the return of KC to the mic on a track that speaks of the struggles and strains of life and that we are all experiencing this together But, together we can also help each other to get by. The beat keeps that feel good vibe and features some nice guitars cut up to help keep that vibe flowing. Time for another groovy pallet cleanser with Interlude 3 which kinda takes you back to those blaxploitation movies it’s so damn funked up...

The final track off the album to have a single release is The Music. This one features Bristol emcee Motman who brings a laid back but, hard hitting lyrical content to the track and this fits perfectly with the beat which has a slightly darker feel to it but, is a great platform to show how music can mirror life and how it can change the way you feel as you walk the path of life. Creating a whole different vibe with an electronic feel to it Maze is a breath of fresh air. Featuring Pri D, who was part of the Don’t Flop battles, this one talks on how the mind is like a maze and fact that drugs often compound that feel making hard to know where you’re going or what you doing and Pri D’s lyrics really reflect the twists and turns you can experience. Time now to switch it up and go big with At Your Disposal, which has such a heavy large beat that, if you played it too loud, you drop houses with this one and add to that the larger than life lyrics and flow of Fungus, from Plymouth, and you have the closest this to a musical wrecking crew since the World Class. After that you gonna need one last musical moment to bring you back to your senses and Interlude 4, with its rocking beat and heavy guitars is just enough to do that before one last salvo...

Grown Man Business takes you on a surreal vibe that is almost in some parallel universe with its ethereal keys, and freaky electronic sounds all over a pretty banging beat. That weird freaky feeling is further expanded with the vocals from Rico and Dirty Joe otherwise known as the Elder Wastemen from Nottingham who really twist the confines of reality on this penultimate track. So, getting into the final track of the album and Pandamonium is joined by London Crew the Greasy Ninjas for I Ain’t Got a Plan and this one is taking you out on a high. The track takes it up some notches and hits you with an orchestral heavy (has a James Bond feel about it) banging beat which, as with others on this album, really injects you with a burst of musical energy. The Greasy Ninjas drop their lyrics as heavy as the track and letting you know that when it comes to life, they Ain’t got a plan.

Overall, Phew! This one took my breath away. Pandamonium has really taken it to a whole new level here. You have such a mix of styles and vibes here. Its underground Hip Hop mixed with Electronic, Funk, Jazz, orchestral tones and more. Not just that but, you have 19 tracks to keep you bouncin’ along for over an hour.

For me there is not a soft track on the album. Some might say there is no point to having the Interludes and in some cases I might agree but, I have to disagree on this album. Being 19 tracks, or 15 if you discount the Interludes, what those Interludes do on this album is just give you a short break from the full length tracks that, as I said, give you a kind of aural pallet cleanser. It splits the album up into 5 courses that really makes the album a pleasure to listen to and credit where credit is due Pandamonium has done a great job in how he has set up the running order here.

The collaborations are superb and seriously high-light the up and coming talent alongside more established artists. This album may have been a long time coming but, it has been well worth the wait. Especially when you consider the work that has gone into it not just production wise but, also the fact there has been five singles and videos released and a range of T-Shirts and Hoodies too. It has been a huge effort and it has really paid off and the title of the album, From The Soul, gives you an insight into how Pandamonium views what he does and what the music means to him. Music can be just music but, when that music comes from the soul, it takes on a whole different meaning and, for me anyway, I can really feel that running through this album, not just track to track but, also in the whole concept and execution of the album and associated merchandise.

When you look at just how much Pandamonium has put into this album you have to give him huge props, "Let Me Introduce Myself" was Written, Recorded and Performed by Pandamonium UK. All Tracks were Produced, Arranged, Edited, Scratched and Mastered by Pandamonium UK (Drums Segments Sampled & Chopped on "Let Em Have It" Performed and Provided by Alex Caskie). All Associated Artwork, Videos and Logos by Pandamonium UK, this is some undertaking and the only things he did not do himself are, obviously, that the individual contributing artists wrote, performed and recorded all their own material and the video for Tick Tock was produced by Sir Burbia.

I only have one more thing to say, get this album. It has a great feel good vibe running all the way through it and it will definitely keep your spirits up in the weird times we are currently living in right now.

From The Soul is released by One Shoe Records and is available now, links Below.

On that note, I’m out.

Till Next time, Stay Sane people.

Steve

Buy the Album Here: https://djpandamonium.bandcamp.com/music

DJ Pandamonium Blog: http://djpandamoniumuk.blogspot.co.uk/

One Shoe Records on the Web: https://oneshoerecords.com/news/

Pandamonium on Soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/djpandamonium

Pandamonium on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/djpandamoniumbeats

Pandamonium on Twitter: https://twitter.com/djpandamonium

Pandamonium YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/pandamoniumhhb

One Shoe Records YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK3dub-1g4zcX-Vp5txCP_Q