Purgatory
By
Reken
UK emcee Reken was born and raised on the streets of
Blackpool. Since becoming interested in all four elements of Hip Hop culture he
has worked, almost tirelessly for the last five years representing his home
city and dropping a string of hot releases of which Purgatory is the latest,
released at the end of August this year.
The title suggests that this album will take us to a place
where we are neither one place or the other, kinda like where society is right
now. With that in mind and the fact that this album is some sixteen tracks
deep, I’m gonna take you straight into it. So, lets take our first tentative
steps into Purgatory together…
Heavy drums, bass and orchestral strings set the tone for
Reken to introduce himself. He also gives us some background on his life and
gives us a huge Welcome To Purgatory but, at the same time you begin to
question this reality and ponder some important questions… Is Reken talking to
us from Purgatory? Is he talking to us, who are the ones residing in this
half-way place or are we all here together, looking for the answers that will
carry us forward?
Just as you are wondering what to expect from the coming
tracks, The Rock introduces the next track before a funk fulled vibe of drums
and guitar hits your awareness and brings a thought-provoking feel with it. Reken
takes a look at current state of society, its such a messed-up place where
victims of crime and the poor suffer so much more than any perpetrator of a
crime and the elite, those in power, become richer on the pain and tears of
others. The more Reken makes you think, the more you ask, Why? With our
questions left unanswered, for now, a nerve tingling piano and some melodic
drums bring a darker edge as we slip into the dream world of Midnight
Masquerades. This is place of nightmares that tear into your soul, mashing
your mind to a pulp. You wake drenched in sweat and questioning how much of
that was just a dream and how much was rooted in reality? The combination of
drums and piano continue bringing a more reflective air. Here its about the
memory of those moments that pushed you to you limits, made you wonder if you’d
ever catch a break? But all those tough moments also give you a strength, a
strength to go on and to say to yourself that you are Not Giving Up…
It’s true that we won’t stay down for long and that is
reflected with an uplifting beat of drums and keyboards. Reken is joined by
Dog4ouse and seems to be telling us here that its all about finding faith in
something, whatever works for you, that one thing that guides you back from
those dark places. It is not easy but, you can Catch A Vibe in a place
where the sun smiles on you once more. That uplifting vibe carries on with mix
of heavy drums, electroninc notes and some soulful vocals. The message from
Reken and Ben SOS is that now you are out of that dark place remember to take
life one step and One Day At A Time. That road to recover is a twelve-step
process, you can do it with dedication, support and a faith in that higher
power. The light continues to shine upon us as we are accompanied by some
laid-back drums and keyboard notes. The support we receive on out journey often
comes from someone very Special and here we have a dedication to that
person, that special individual who makes you both complete.
Strings, keyboards, and drums create a floaty vibe for us to
drift away from the thoughts the past and the future. Here it is all about
living in the moment. Those special moments when you are present in the
Prescence of a higher power, an energy that helps you focus on what really
matters and to be thankful for all that is. Bruva Smokes joins Reken over a
beat full of guitars, keyboards and drums which switches up the energy levels
more than a few notches with S W A T. The guys take aim at all the fakes
and suckers out there as they bring the kinda bars that stop you in your tracks
and drop the opposition to their knees. Next, we go from high energy to that
head nod vibe of drums and guitar and an appearance from Karlow. This one takes
us back to the days of having fun, when no one gave a damn and it was all about
having a good time. So, tell me Do You Remember The Day?
Karlow keeps hold of his mic as he joins Reken to drop some Heat.
The beat is a heavy mix of drums, horns, keyboards, and piano. The vibe is
straight up battle rap and guys deliver it in a precise, clinical fashion as
they execute their execution of the punks. This is heavy rap style just for the
sake of it and if you think you can handle the repercussions, then step up!
Now, no one ever said rap and Hip Hop was just one thing, one style, it can be
an Abstract Art, and that abstract style is reflected here as we have a
drum beat over which is a mariachi style guitar while Reken drops vocals with
the air of battle rap thrown into the mix. Try listening to this one if you
think all rap is the same. As you are musing over things the air around darks
with the onset of some deep piano and drum vibes. You begin to question again,
is this a look at a warped psychotic mind full of Resentment, is it
showing us that there are times we need the darkness in order to truly see the
light or are we taking a look at the destabilised mind that is the dark side of
mental health…
The uplifiting vibe returns with some soulful vocals over
drums and keyboards. The notion of faith is not something new on this album and
on G.O.D. Reken looks deeper into what it is to find faith in a higher power,
a belief that can be the catalyst for your positive self. It might not be an
easy journey for anyone to make but, then life and the truth are not the
easiest of things to experience but, they are ultimately fulfilling. From that
idea of faith, we move to a harder vibe as horns, electronic notes and drums
combine for a more modern trap style vibe. The message on this one is taking a
look at those modern rappers who chose to promote violence and negativity to today’s
youth. Reken shows that no matter what sound you chose, there is no need for Badmanism.
The final track ends on a more contemplative air that comes from the piano and
heavy but laid-back drums. The message here is that no matter what happens in
your life, through all the ups and downs, there is Still Time Left to
turn it around and make every moment count and that is the answer to all the
questions and how we leave Purgatory.
There is something about albums that are self-produced that
often adds an extra dimension to what you hear. Everything is from the self and
comes from your heart and you can hear that and feel that with every beat and
every bar on Purgatory.
There is so much to like here and both musically and
lyrically it carries you along with something to appeal to everyone. It is easy
to visualise what Reken is putting across with each track and there is a great
balance of light and dark, just as there is with any journey we make and this
one is no exception. You can feel the passion he has for what he does and what
has helped him as he has walked his path. For Reken his belief in a higher
power has brought through all the rough times to where he is now. While you
yourself might not have a belief in a god as such, we all believe there is
something that works for us, and it is having that faith that will carry us
through the dark times.
Overall, I really enjoyed this album and the fact it was so
easy to feel something with each track. The personal aspects that are built
into this album allow you to feel that deeper aspect at all the right times and
there is also that great balance of fun vibes and realness that allow the album
to flow so well and speak to all of us. Add to that the stunning artwork from
Matt Herbert (aka Junior Disprol) and this one has to be on your shelves.
As purgatory has been out for a few weeks now, a lot of you
may have already heard it but, to those of you who have not, I highly recommend
that you give this a listen at the very least as you won’t be disappointed.
My thanks and respect to Reken for sending this one over.
On that note,
I’m out,
Peace.
Steve.
LINKS
Get Purgatory on Digital or CD on Bandcamp:
https://rekenone.bandcamp.com/album/purgatory
All streaming etc via this one Link:
https://songwhip.com/reken/purgatory
No comments:
Post a Comment