SoulCondor
Slices 003 & 004
Special Double
Single review
Not too long ago I reviewed the first two releases on Soulcondor
Slices. Save The Wax and Superfunk (remixes) were two incredible slices of Hip Hop that
not only crossed borders but, showed what can happen when the Hip Hop community
pulls together to support one of their own.
That incredible show of support continues to grow. The
struggles of label creator Del Soulcondor has brought together Hip-Hop artists
and fans the world over who have united in showing love and support as he
battles cancer. It is his resilience, resistance and overall strength in the
face of extreme adversity that has touched so many and his on-going desire to
bring his vision to the Hip Hop community
has resulted in him teaming with the awesome Diggers With Gratitude Crew
to release these via their Fresh Pressings page.
Let’s get into these two Singles and first up is SS003…
Fuck Cancer-The Condor
Consortium / Heavy XL-Cut Beetlez & Dopamine 189
Any piece of music that has a deeply personal story behind
it can be emotional and inspire a deep emotional response in those who listen,
particularly if they can relate to it personally and nothing hits home like
this more than cancer. It seems to affect so many people either directly or
indirectly that we all have a story, I will not relate my personal stories here
but, it is the stories that are part of who we are and Del’s own fight that is
the catalyst to simply say Fuck Cancer.
Fuck Cancer is a shot across the bow for this disease
and a message that no matter what we will continue to stand against it. The
production comes from DJ Nappa who brings an upbeat mix of bass, Drums, horns, guitar,
and more classic samples than you can shake a stick at creating a huge sound
that rouses your emotional energy. The vocal side of the Condor Consortium
consists of Chrome, Phill Most Chill and legendary UK emcee Blade. The
emotional side of things hits from the get-go as Chrome relates his own
personal experiences of losing a sister and almost losing a brother to cancer
and you can really feel the pain, emotion, and the strength in every word.
Phill Most Chill takes shots are the big corporations, the ones who make huge
amounts of money from drugs and whose best interests are their shareholders not
necessarily in finding a cure. He also talks of the benefits of staying strong
and positive in the face of cancer and not letting it win. Blade speaks on the
war against cancer and how it so often sneaks up on those we love but, that we always
all stand together as a collective force of positivity, letting cancer know we
will never give up, we will stand strong together and we will be the ones who
will win out. If that were not enough of a statement, the track is rounded of
with a barrage of slick cuts from the final member of the Condor Consortium, B-Line head honcho and the man behind Bristol's Rope-A-Dope, Specifik, who simply says Fuck Cancer as only he knows
how.
Heavy XL-Cut
Beetlez & Dopamine 189
Heavy XL drops in typical Cut Beetlez style with
brutal guitar heavy sound mixed with drums, cymbals, and cuts (provided by DJ
J-Man and HP Lovescratch of course). The guitars are courtesy of Janne Aronen
and brings a sound that assaults you ears and shreds your nervous system. Rock
musicians have been renowned for smashing guitars but here it sounds like they
have ripped apart some electric guitars and then put them all back together
creating something recognisable but, raw and new. Dopamine 189 gives us bars
that are, at times, as brutal as the sound as he speaks on the music and how he
conducts what he does. This track takes the idea of merging hard rock and
Hip-Hop to a whole new level and then gives it that experimental Cut Beetlez
treatment. Something that always takes a standard concept in music then tips it
out of the box shattering it into pieces and reconstructing it as they see fit,
bringing you something you’ve never heard before.
Next up is SS004…
Living For The
Day-Respek BA, Zeeny & Mr Thing / Raise Em High-Soundsci
Living For The Day see’s Zeeny provide production,
Mixing and Mastering. His production of Horns, Guitars, Drums and Piano brings
a vibe that instantly puts you into a thoughtful and reflective state of mind.
Mr Thing’s slick cuts also add to that whole air of reflection and solidifying
the whole Hip-Hop sound. Respek BA brings everything to life as he reflects on what’s
been, what made him smile and what made him who he is. But it’s not all about
reflecting on the past, its also about bringing that energy into the present
moment and making every day something special, a memory to be treasured. This
is another track that you simply can’t help but to get lost in. The whole
concept of Living For The Day is something everyone of us can associate
with as we get older. At times we think back to better times, and we can feed
off that energy, recreate it in the now using that memory to recreate those
feelings…
Raise Em High –
Soundsci
The mighty Soundsci return with Ollie Teeba’s production
bringing a straight up Hip-Hop club banger. The Heavy drums and guitar notes
bring an upbeat vibe which will instantly have you out of your seat. The energy
here is beyond infectious as Soundsci rock the mics once more. Their intention
here is all about that feel good vibe and getting the crowd to Raise Em High.
There is no one better to do that as they have us moving to every beat and
every bar with the kinda wordplay that perfectly matches the sound. I dunno
what more there is I can say about this one really, it is one of those tracks
where fewer words are needed as the music does the talking.
There is little more left for me to say about these four
tracks. Individually they each have their own tone, their own message that
ranges across almost every emotion, providing you choose to open yourself to
that. However, together they are two individual releases that carry a
collective message around the globe, that message says that the Hip-Hop
community is not just that, it is a family that spans borders and cultures and
one. We recognise when one stands up and creates a vison that brings enjoyment
to so many, just as Del Soulcondor has done with Soulcondor Slices. We also
recognise when one of us needs support and is going through a tough part of our
journey and we stand by that person, just as so many of us doing now in supporting
Del Soulconder at this truly harsh time.
There is no doubt in my mind that what Soulcondor Slices is
doing is not just releasing some one off, incredibly passionate Hip-Hop music
but, it is creating a whole incredible legacy that will still be standing tall
long into the future. This music will outlive every one of us carrying its
message to many more generations who will undoubtedly feed off the energy and
the messages within…
Further Shouts go to Mr Krum (Layout and Design) and Rola (Mixing and Mastering on Fuck Cancer) on Fuck Cancer/Heavy XL. Mak One for Artwork on Living For The Day/Raise Em High and the Legendary figure of No Sleep Nigel for mixing on Raise Em High.
It looks certain that we will see SS005 & SS006 dropping. So,
regardless of whether you purchase a hardcopy or just a digital copy of these two, when you
listen to these tracks, feel them, I mean truly feel them because that’s what
they are there for.
On that note I send love and healing vibes to Del
Soulcondor,
One love to you all,
Steve
LINKS
Physical copies can be ordered from DWG Fresh Pressings very soon:
http://freshpressings.bigcartel.com/
Stream all SoulCondor Slices releases via Soundcloud now:
https://soundcloud.com/soulcondorslices
Follow Del Soulcondor on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/del_soulcondor/
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