Infinite Sounds UK: EP Review: The Journey by The Scribes and Risk1 Beats

The Journey

The Scribes

Produced by Risk1 Beats

Today sees the release of the new EP from one of the South West’s premier Hip Hop groups, The Scribes. The Journey is a 4 track EP, produced entirely by Risk1 Beats from Ponypridd South Wales, that is accompanied by what is, in my opinion anyway, one of the most stunning 7” Picture disc’s I’ve seen in a long time. That 7” Picture Disk of the lead track, The Shipwreck, is released through Stay Free Recordings and features the stunning artwork of Chris Malbon (who has also produced artwork for the Scribes Totem Trilogy. Part 1 of which is available now) and is a strictly limited edition.

So, just what is The Journey all about? I think the easiest way to explain that is for me to take you on a journey of my own as I stand shoulder to shoulder with The Scribes and Risk1 on this one. So, come join us for The Journey…

A short spoken into immediately grabs your attention and pulls you into a place where the only importance is to sail from port to port, never anchoring, never stopping just sailing. The backdrop is piano notes over the intro before being joined by the pounding drums of the sea and a wind of fierce cuts (from Risk1). This musical combination gives you this feeling that all there is this ship and the sea, and you are at the mercy of the elements. Ill Literate then uses emotive lyrics to describe the thoughts of the sailor, the captain perhaps, of this ship. Beyond that the lyrical pallet paints a picture of changing seas and the approaching storm. The fury of the sea and the wind takes no pity on the ship and those thoughtless enough to sail into its path. Ultimately the vessel is destroyed by the storm and our narrator finds himself a victim of The Shipwreck…

Drums and Clarinet come together to produce an almost Egyptian sounding vibe. This backdrop is perfect. Our survivor is now thankful to be spared But, with the ship lost, he finds himself at the mercy of the elements once more. This time the harsh unrelenting sun beats down on him as he finds himself kneeling in sand and facing the challenge of The Desert, as he seeks to find his way home. Ill Literate narrates helping us visualise the heat and its effects, causing cracked skin and despair as the survivor treads across shifting sands, wondering if only survived the seas to be killed by in this ocean of yellow scorched sand…

Piano, bass, and drums produces a slightly darker edge to the sound scape and one that might just be a saviour to our survivor. As ill Literate narrates further, we find out survivor thankful once more as he makes his way to edge of the desert to find that it is now The Forest that awaits him. Passing out in the shade of trees, he awakes sits before setting off once more. There are still challenges to face but, life of the forest helps the survivor begin to heal. As he regains his strength, he is thankful that the forest has helped save him and comes to more realisations about who he truly is and his relationship to world around him…

The Return see’s our survivor back home and the backdrop of piano, organ notes and drums give this a reflective air about it. Here he reflects over the journey he has just been on, thinking on the challenges he faced, the moments of fear, pain, healing, and joy. This is a journey that he will never forget, it has changed him for the better, giving him a deep respect for the world around him and for who he is and his place in that world, a world that helped heal him and, perhaps, he can help heal it…

Although The Journey is one based on the story of a shipwreck survivor and his journey through unknown lands and what he faces as he tries to make his way back home, you realise that this journey parallels the experiences of any one of us. The time, place and names might be different, as is the situations but, there is no doubt that we have all done things where we have gone in blindly or perhaps got real deep into something that when things change, we feel suddenly alone, not knowing which way to turn. We will stumble through a period of time, doing our best to get by before, one day having a moment of clarity where we suddenly see the road in front of us, we realised that we have been forever changed by what has happened but, now we have a new sense of purpose, a new respect for life and we walk forward in the understanding that what seemed like a negative experience was more of a teaching than anything and we are thankful for that…

The Scribes and Risk1 have truly nailed this by bringing us a very intelligent, descriptive, and poignant piece of hip hop. Musically Risk1 has produced sounds that completely suit the tone of each track and he does that in a reasonably simple way, not with too many layers but, just enough to produce the feeling in the listener, and all the while keeping that sound rooted in that boom bap hip hop. Ill Literate uses emotive verbal wordplay that flows easily with the vibe of each track, allowing the listener to visualize not just the intended story but, also to visualize what is not said or not intended. That is the key point here that the Risk1 and The Scribes merge to bring you an EP that could, quite easily, have you imagine a different story each time you listen, bringing a slightly different set of circumstances for the survivor in the story, while reflecting a different story from your own journey as well.

Overall, I have to say that The Journey is not just a solid UK Hip Hop release but, an intelligent story that is put together in such a way as to bring the listener reflections of their own personal journey as much as it brings a musical journey. It also goes to show why The Scribes are one of the UKs most exciting Hip Hop acts, with lyrical dexterity and uplifting vibes matched with bringing in exactly the right producers for each of their projects. They also have an incredible work ethic in doing what they love, their live program is almost non-stop, and I suggest you get to see them when they pass through your town or city, because these guys always put on one heck of a show.

It is also worth noting here that as The Scribes signed with Stimulus Management in February 2022, joining a frankly insane roster including Nas, Snoop Dogg, DJ Premier, Mobb Deep, Busta Rhymes and Faith Evans. So, the future looks increasingly bright for the guys.