AE Productions Double Single Review
AE042 Breakdown
by Mr Fantastic ft Teekay
&
AE043 Make It
Happen (Mac McRaw RMX) by Ill Treats & Glad2Mecha ft Grand Puba
With AE Productions being one of the UK’s premier labels for
releasing that gold standard Hip Hop, it was a pleasure to be sent the labels
two brand new 45 releases for review. As they landed together, I decided to
drop the two reviews in one for you, so I hope you enjoy…
AE042 Breakdown
by Mr Fantastic ft Teekay (Dragon Fli Empire)
There is something about an AE Productions release that is
so often linked to the core vibes of real Hip Hop music and Breakdown is
exactly that.
Produced and scratched by the man behind AE Productions, Mr
Fantastic, Breakdown comes at you with a funky head nod vibe that, on
the face of it, seems quite simplistic but, the more the more it goes on, you
get this multi-layered that includes Horns and cymbals under those wicked
drums. It straight up gets you moving and feeling that positive energy that is
infused throughout.
Teekay (Dragon Fli Empire) from Calgary, Alberta, Canada
seems the perfect choice for this track. His rhyme style and effortless flow
fits so well here. You can hear every word as he breaks it down about what it
is to be in Hip Hop music, how you do it, how it makes you feel and what it is
to bring it to the people.
Overall, this one takes you back to those early years of Hip-Hop
music, the energy, and that predominant feel-good factor that it was all about
back then. This is one of those tracks that does not require too much brain
power to enjoy, everything you need from this track, comes from the track,
trust me…
To round it all off the cover graff artwork comes from
another legendary Bristol figure, Turroe One, and speaking of legendary Bristol
figures, Rola @ Khameleon 107 lends his talents to mixing the vocals and
Mastering. This track is everything you want and then some.
AE043 Make It
Happen (Mac McRaw RMX) by Ill Treats & Glad2Mecha ft Grand Puba
For this release AE Productions have a Mac McRaw remix of Make
It Happen by Ill Treats and Glad2Mecha, which also features Grand Puba
(Brand Nubian).
The original album version of the track, which you will find
on the B-Side, came from Ill Treats and Glad2mecha’s 2019 album ‘The Return’.
That original version was a chilled-out vibe mixing keyboards, bass and horns
over laid-back drums. The track was all about putting your all into something,
in this case their music, and doing what you can to the best of your ability to
Make It Happen with something fresh and new which will bring enjoyment
to the listeners and also help you to pay the bills, as we all need to do that.
Lyrically it was a solid track and pairing Glad2Mecha with Grand Puba just
polished off the track.
What Mac McRaw has done with his remix is to completely flip
the vibe of the original while losing none of the original message. The remix
has an upbeat and energetic feel that instantly makes you wanna nod ya head. Over
this upbeat drum beat we get this multi-layered mix of horns and guitar vibes
which really tweak the energy levels. We are also treated to a nice addition of
some slick turntablism as well just to cap things off nicely.
The release is rounded off by cover design and layout from
Mr Krum and mastering from Rola @ Khameleon 107.
If you are one of those who like those fun facts, then an
interesting side note here is that Brighton on the UK’s south coast, plays a
big part behind the scenes, albeit historically. Ill Treats (Arizona), Mac McRaw (France) and
Mr Krum are all originally from Brighton. It is also where Mac McRaw met Ill
Treats back in the day. Mr Krum and Mac McRaw are linked through being fellow
Vinyl Veterans, the Ko Rok Two and, if you read my review of 30 Raw Ones, they
also formed Cold Rock Stuff Records.
What I liked about both of these releases was the fact that
they both have this overwhelming upbeat, energetic and feel-good vibe that
really serves to uplift you and I really feel that kinda vibe is exactly what
is needed in the world right now. So, huge props to AE Productions and all
involved for bringing such a healthy dose of musical medicine to our ears.
Huge thanks to Mr Fantastic for sending these to me.
Both AE042 and AE043 are available now to stream and
purchase from AE Productions.
On that note,
Let the good times roll,
Steve
LINKS
Buy both copies from the AE Productions Website:
https://www.ae-productions.co.uk/shop
Both will also be available in Canada from Black Buffalo Records very soon:
http://blackbuffalorecords.ca/best-underground-hip-hop/
Remember to search for both of these on iTunes and Spotify
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