Golden Ape
Beat-Tape
By
Live From The
Groove
The Golden Ape Beat-Tape is the latest release from
one of the UKs newest Hip Hop labels. Originally started back in hazy days of
2020, Live From The Groove was an
online platform dedicated to radio shows and online performances during those
painful lockdown pandemic days. Things grew quickly for the guys who decided to
start a label alongside the online shows, and they released their first single
this year the dope and very funky 23 ‘til
Infinity by Dweller and featuring Nilla (Canada).
Dweller aka Al English is no stranger to Infinite Sounds as
I reviewed his album ‘Record Of Achievement’ back in January of 2020. Firstly,
let me introduce you to the guys who form Live From The Groove: Dweller aka Al
English from Manchester is an emcee/producer, Dave Taylor aka TMB from Worthing
handles art plus behind the scenes stuff and Simon Canon aka DJ Simon C also
from Worthing is the turntable trickster. They are also part of a DJ collective
known as the Get It Together DJ’s
alongside fellow DJ Trick.
What the guys have done with Live From The Groove, is to
create a label that does everything or as much as possible in house. So, all
the recording, mixing, and mastering, the artwork and design, even down to the
shrink wrapping, is done internally. Something that really goes back to the
independent record label mentality and very Hip Hop in one sense too.
Back to the Golden
Ape Beat Tape which is a hand selected line-up of producers that Al
English has had the pleasure of working with over the years. Side A has been
compiled and arranged by himself while the B-Side has been mixed by the
legendary DJ Jazz T (Jehst, Fliptrix,
Ramson Badbones DJ) of Boot Records.
It promises to have a slightly different feel to each side and Dweller promises
me that the A-Side will be a bit more on the chilled side But, the B-Side will have
a more upbeat vibe with Jazz T doing all the mixing live on the turntables.
With all that said, there is only one more thing to do and
that is for me to take you through the album. So, let’s go…
The Golden Ape Intro has the of walking down the street and passing a venue when you
hear the sound of a DJ cutting up some Hip Hop inside and your instantly draw
to head in and see what’s going on. The first track to grab your attention is Speedboat
by Gadget & GrandHuit, this is mellow sound created out of guitar,
sparse drums, and a mixture of organ vibes that you just kinda want to sit back
and nod your head to. Next up is Decadent by Kuartz, which has that
lo-fi vibe of keys, drums and assorted background sounds that is really mellow
but, has an uplifting feeling too. Backseat Drivin’ by D_Piff sees the
drums take a backseat to this melodic sound which almost takes the feeling of
being the open air that puts this kind of industrial vibe on it but, it’s still
mellow and still laid-back. The sound then lightens up with the piano in Working
by Conbel Evrence, which softens the drum element almost to the point it is
barely audible, creating this fresh sounding vibe that puts you in mind of
standing on the seashore on a bright early summer morning and that feeling
continues with the sound of gulls, soft drums and organ notes on Apterlude,
another track from Conbel Evrence that keeps you drinking in that
feeling of a fresh sea breeze blowing away the cobwebs. No compilation of this
nature would be complete without at least one beat from the man himself and
here Dweller gives us On The Grass, complete with the uplifting
sound of guitars, flute and drums which have you floating of into the wide blue
yonder feeling as free as the birds.
From floating in the sky, we glide gently back to earth with
the sound of Last Man Standing by Chilla Ninja, the soft sounds, drums
and cuts, really makes you feel you’re standing on a street, bathed in light of
a setting sun and listening to the music floating to into your awareness from all
around you. Those sounds begin to merge into one sound, electronic vibes and
acoustic guitar that is Three Paths by Mazzini. Via a vocal sample we are presented with the
notion of three paths to one God, which in this moment feels like three paths to one sound, that sound is the
music that uplifts us and takes us
wherever we want to go, perhaps music is our god?
With that thought in mind, piano notes draw us into Take
A Cyde by Chills Myth. Drums drop in alongside the piano notes and once
more we find ourselves being overtaken by the music which expands our
consciousness to new levels as we allow it to do so, simply by the art of
listening. The final track of Side-A is Runny Colours by Orange Feel,
The perfect way to end this side as the sounds of harps, soft drums and vocals have
you feeling like you just awoke from a meditative music dream and the sights
and sounds of the world are just beginning to become a part of your awareness
once more.
With our awareness now squarely back in the room, we flip
the tape over to side B, both wondering and preparing ourselves for what’s to
come, already knowing that DJ Jazz T
is about to be live in the mix. Welcome To Side B finds Jazz T cutting up some chillers,
tweaking those adrenaline levels a bit and creating anticipation for what’s
coming. First track to get the full-on treatment is No Perps by Chills Myth,
a synth heavy sound with various drums and cymbal sounds that begin to elevate
those upbeat, head-nod vibes. Full Court by Lone Apostrophe almost takes
us back into that Lo-Fi vibe with its chilled horns But, the drums elevate this
one alongside the initial cuts from Jazz
T.
The piano notes and orchestral vibes of Lost Potential elevate the upbeat vibe once more as Jazz T raises things up just a few notches before raising it up
again with the heavy piano vibes of Who I Hang With by Chills Myth. This
one has some nice drums and bells too that give this a sweet Hip Hop undertone
but the piano notes take the forefront, making this one perfect for a summers
drive. The drums and multi-layered sound of Big Slacker (WYCypher Theme) by
ExP, has this upbeat electronic jazz vibe that just continues that summer drive
chill-out cruise. From there we break into a more traditional Hip Hop sounding drum vibe of Downrock
(Breaktime Pt 3) by Gadget, which has some almost far eastern elements to
the sound while also being one of those tracks that maintains a certain b-boy
element to it as well, especially when you add in some cuts from Jazz T.
Woah by Conbel Evrence brings a drum and synth
infused sound that seems to continuously get you ready for something but also keeps you waiting….. and what you are
waiting for is an Interlude that is this upbeat xylophone heavy sound
over some vocal samples, it kind of raises you up into the stratosphere once
more. The interlude takes us into the penultimate track On My Knees by V,
which has this solid Hip Hop sound with piano notes and drums with some guitar
notes and vocal samples which really elevate the upbeat vibes getting those
heads nodding. An explosion of sound and some deft cuts catapult us into the
final track Spirit Levels by Dusty Methods, which has drums, guitar
sounds and much more that give this one an almost nerve-jangling sound with a
jazzy vibe.
This is definitely a Beat-Tape of two halves and all the
tracks are seamlessly mixed into each other. Creating this Lo-Fi Hip Hop sound
that you can float, nod, bounce, or simply just kick back and chill to.
Let’s take the A-Side with its eleven tracks of goodness
that says ‘you don’t have to have more bounce to the ounce’ to be Hip Hop, you
can also be chill and still be Hip Hop.
It also shows how Hip Hop vibes have influenced and given
rise to such genres as Lo-Fi, Trip Hop and Chill Hop. Here Dweller has chosen nine tracks by ten producers, plus one from his
own repertoire (two if you count the Intro) to show the calibre of those who
produce a more chilled out form of Hip Hop. All mixed in a way that creates
this beautiful, relaxed flow that allows you to kick back, close your eyes and
let the music take you wherever you want to go.
Now, the B-Side also has that Lo-Fi, lazy summer days kinda
feel to the music but, here DJ Jazz T adds his own stamp to proceedings by
seamlessly cutting and mixing the entire twelve tracks all in one live session.
That addition of cuts, scratches and mixing adds an extra dimension that does
the job of raising vibe enough as to give you the perfect soundtrack to a warm summer’s
afternoon drive to nowhere in particular, except into the heart and soul of the
music.
I have always loved instrumental music such as this because
you can listen to it over and over again and it always takes you somewhere
different and the Golden Ape Beat-Tape
does just that. I have listened to this a few times but sitting and being more
focused on the tracks for the review had it sounding entirely different to when
I first heard it. That first listen had a certain anticipation attached to it
as I was literally the first person outside of the label to hear it, which
meant I was hearing something fresh and new, and I’m still amazed how I
remember something totally different to what I heard today. That is the power
of good music.
There is nothing for it but, for you to give this one a go
and I’m pretty sure you won’t be disappointed. The Golden Ape Beat-Tape will have a strictly limited run of good
old fashioned cassette tapes for all of you who love that retro feel. There
will also be some limited CDs too and remember all those tapes and CDs are done
in house with one of a kind artwork. I mean, what more do you want? Seriously.
The Golden Ape
Beat-Tape shows exactly what independent labels are capable of, in their
desire to bring you the best music and best in limited physical releases. Live
From The Groove have produced something that is a little different perhaps, but still has it roots in the foundation of
Hip Hop music.
Pre-release orders will be up on Bandcamp and streaming on
28th April with the full release exclusive to Bandcamp on 15th
May. Full streaming release will follow.
My huge thanks to Dweller
for asking me to review this one.
One that note,
I’ll see ya next time.
Steve
LINKS
Live From The Groove Bandcamp for the April 28th Pre-Release and much more:
https://livefromthegroove.bandcamp.com/music
Live From The Groove on Mixcloud:
https://www.mixcloud.com/livefromthegroove/
Live From The Groove YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@LiveFromTheGroove
Live From The Groove on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/livefromthegroove/
Live From The Groove on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/livefromthegroove
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