Album Review: Beat Tripping by Happy Headz

 

Beat Tripping

By

Happy Headz

 

It’s always good to have something new and a little different to wrap my ears around and the new album Beat Tripping by Happy Headz certainly fits the bill there. Released on Nuke Fam Records, it is produced by someone you might be familiar with, one Haynesy. Beat Tripping is the follow up to the debut One Summer and I'll drop a link to that below too.

My previous experience reviewing Haynesy’s work such as DopeBeat Biz Vol. 1 (2019) and his work alongside JD, Freedom of Speech (2020) and Truth Be Told (2021), has taught me that whatever he puts his mind to becomes a musical experience of the highest quality, with beats that are infectious and down-right dope. So, my thoughts are that this will be no exception, even if I’m not sure what’s coming, I know it’s gonna be pure fire.

Haynesy describes the album as a mix of retro dance, piano house, Hip Hop, electro, and chilled beats all in one package. Now I always enjoy a good challenge and so the idea of such a mixed bag of sounds really piqued my interest and that interest was piqued even more when I noted appearances from Jabbathakut, JD Guerrilla, Ryan Sanders, Scorzayzee, DJ Blend, Micky Swags, Wordsmiff Flip and Eskar (Nuke Fam Records). With a line-up like this alongside Haynesy I was eager to get my headphones on…

So, I’m not gonna keep you hanging around here, so join me on a trip through Beat Tripping…

Proceedings are started right with Dead Weight (Piano Mix) a booming house tune which put me in mind of the Chicago house sound which was big back in the eighties. The infectious beats, bass and that piano sound really gets you moving while the guest vocalist hits you with this story that seems to say that no matter how much you want someone, sometimes their behaviour just makes them a dead weight in your life. After that pulse raising start to the album a more chilled piano vibe takes us into Grow up and when the beat drops on this one you realise that the idea there would be some retro dance vibes here was not understated. Kicking up the BPM a bit it keeps the pulse racing and makes you wanna just keep moving. There are more vocals that help to grow that seed in your mind that parts of you just don’t want to grow up. Guitar vibes and strings guide you into the next track before the beat drops in and keeps you from wanting to kick back. Although this is a bit more chilled it still has your head nodding with it’s infectious sound and the vocals which speak directly at you, inviting you to look at yourself and enjoy yourself because You Are Enough. So, let the music into your soul and the ride that is your life.

That dance sound keeps going with bass, drums, and synth vibes but, Keep Shining has this electronic edge that seems to penetrate the very core of your being. As you listen to the vocals and feel that beat, you become aware that your body has unconsciously started moving and there is no stopping now and you can’t understand how you’re not boogying the night away in the club but, then maybe you are as another big bass sound hits with Nails Done Long. This has a more modern vibe or seems to but, before you know it there are some scratch elements thrown in and you’re suddenly pulled in different directions to different eras, or maybe that was just me? But, while I’m wondering what era I’ve been transported to another huge bass sound kicks in with a female emcee dropping some vocals all about one thing, Cash Money. The electronic sounds on this on push the limits of your mind while that big bass sound seems to impact and modify the beat of your own heart, making it beat in time with the bass sound of the track and pushing energy to new levels.

As the album is thirteen tracks long, we have just reached the pivot point of the album with The Place (Cuttin’ & Scratchin’ Mix) which features none other than one of the UK’s leading Hip Hop turntable maestros, Jabbathakut. The intro suggests this might be another house sound but, when the beat drops on this one you realise this is an instrumental Hip Hop banger that has you smiling ear to ear. The pounding drums, keys and heavy bass sound begin to push your adrenaline levels to the max but, the addition of Jabba on the cuts and a plethora of classic samples really push those adrenaline levels beyond their max levels. My advice, bounce, jump around and nod you head to this one and enjoy these five and half minutes of dopeness. Not sure what’s to come after that one, the bass hits and the BPM takes over with another huge club banger in Incy Rides Again (Riga Mix). This one has a sound that is almost techno but, has elements of the industrial sound and even Hip Hop cuts But, there is little doubt that by the end of this one whatever comes next is just gonna carry you on a euphoric energy you won’t wanna come down from. That sound that carries you on, is the massive DnB sound of Search Inside, which features JD and Ryan Sanders. Now, honestly DnB has never been my sound but, this one hits hard with some intelligent and anti-establishment vibes that encourage you to look inside yourself for the truth about what is really going on around you and the world at large.

From the pounding sound of DnB we are next transported in the electronic vibes of the Hip Hop Electro sound with A Random Sofa At 8am (Retro Electro Mix). This one perfectly captures that electro sound and brings in some classic samples, cut and scratched to create a sound that many of us older heads will be vibing with as the electro sound was part of what introduced us to the Hip Hop sound, in fact I remember sitting on random bas seats, random train seats, and car seats listening to this kind of music forty years ago. The Hip Hop sound continues with Love ‘em All, which features Scorzayzee on the mic. Pounding Hip Hop beats and heavy on the horns and not forgetting the cut n scratch, this one is a head nod banger that see’s Scorzayzee celebrate Hip Hop music and the art of making it. With some crafty wordplay, slick delivery, and some great tongue-in-cheek moments, this has the energy to keep that smile stretching broadly across your face. Chilled organ notes guide us into Say Something before the pounding bass beat is brutal and drops with the force of a 1000lb bomb. This one features Micky Swags, Wordsmiff Flip and Eskar (Nuke Fam Records) on the vocals with additional features from DJ Blend and Jabbathakut on the cuts, and is really all about he art of rapping and using words, similes and metaphors to bring your thoughts to reality and say something, no matter what it is. This track is a remix of the original Say Something single from DJ Blend and Micky Swags feat. Wordsmiff Flip and Eskar.

The album ends, or rather winds down, with the epic twenty plus minute Yoga Beatz (Blunts & Blaze Mix), which helps you float back to earth after spending all of what went before this moment, up in the stratosphere. There are elements of enigma, eastern flavours and sitar vibes that mix with a wealth of musical sounds to create this chillout, trip hop masterpiece that has the capability to take you wherever it is you want to go as you take a chill pill and drift off into a place of serenity courtesy of this musical meditative experience…

 

What a cracking album! I mean, there truly is something here for anyone and everyone to enjoy, and I don’t say that lightly.

What Happy Headz have done with Beat Tripping is to encapsulate the feel of a festival, club night or rave vibe, where there are multiple stages with a variety of musical genres all together in one place, for one night only. Then the album is finished off, as any good night is, with an extended chillout session that brings your energy back down to earth, before letting it drift off once more in a rather different fashion.

The production is truly a masterclass of multi-genre musical vibes that creates this energy that keeps you rooted in the present, while taking you back to days gone by but, that’s just from my standpoint as fifty something dude who has encountered more musical genres that you can shake a stick at. But the production on every track here perfectly captures the vibe of the musical genre it denotes. There is little more you say than that really. But, beyond that the flow of the album is like walking between stages or rooms and listening to a wealth of different music, while all the time keeping your energy levels raised up into the atmosphere. It also displays the wealth of influences that impact on us and how me might not vibe with a certain genre of music but, under the right conditions, the energy that music creates just draws us in and we can’t help but let it take control of us.

What you also see here is how, by picking the right guest artists to feature, it gives another depth, another element to something that is already, by all appearances, perfect as it is. These guests maybe unknown vocalists or more well-known artists, even those who have previously worked together but, all add their stamp, as a part of the Happy Headz Collective, in making this something truly special.

I must be honest here and say that there is little more I can say. The words kinda flowed so well as I wrote this and now, I just want to share it with all of you so, please give this one a listen and enjoy it as much as I have.

My humble thanks to Haynesy and Eskar of Nuke Fam Records for asking me to review this truly superb release.

Beat Tripping by Happy Headz is released through Nuke Fam Records.

 

On that note,

I’ll see you in the Stratosphere…

Steve

LINKS

You can find all the streaming links for Beat Tripping Here:

https://ditto.fm/beat-tripping

Check Out Nuke Fam Records Website Here:

https://www.nukefamrecords.com/

Check out the Debut album from Happy Headz - One Summer Here:

https://ditto.fm/one-summer-happy-headz

VIDEOS

Beat Tripping Album Sampler

 

 

 

 

Album Review: Shots Fired by 4Dee

 

Shots Fired

By

4Dee

 

Shots Fired is the latest album from Cardiff emcee 4Dee and, being this is the first time I have featured him, I felt it would be advantageous for me to give you some background on 4Dee.

One of the founding fathers of Hip Hop in Wales, 4Dee has been active in the scene since 1983 when breakin’ and electro first hit our shores. Originally starting out as a B-Boy he made his name with his crew Electro Force by battling other local crews. Even after moving on to become an emcee, he maintained close links with breakin’ and hosted events such as the Welsh Open B-Boy Championships, Original Flavours in Switzerland and Dark Circlez for the LA based global B-Boy organisation Battle Holex. He was also the European president of Battle Holex as well as a former UK Ambassador for the Zulu Nation.

4Dee picked up the mic around 85-86 and joined DJ Jaffa, MC Eric (who would go on the front chart-topping group Technotronic), acclaimed songwriter and musician Dike Okoh and other B-Boys, rappers, and Graff writers (another element of Hip Hop he has dabbled in) to form Cardiff’s original Hip Hop crew Hardrock Concept. Since then he has gone on to be a part of a number of groups such as: rock rap outfit Under The Gun (which gave him his first publishing deal with EMI); Undecorated Veteranz with Joe Blow and the late great DJ Stagga (who would go on the be a favourite producer of both the Dubstep and LA Beat Scene); and Sionis, with members of the multi award winning and ground-breaking youth group Underdogs, which 4Dee started in 1992 with his sister Berta (now sadly passed), and long term collaborator DJ Jaffa.

It would be many years later before 4Dee would release his first solo album. After a period of hardship and homelessness, he realised that he had strayed too far from the one thing that gave him hope and purpose, Hip Hop! Tackling his problems head-on, he got back to the studio to produce hid first proper solo release ‘Indelible’ in 2021, then in 2022 he released his second album ‘Frequencies’ and now in 2023 his third album Shots Fired is here. This album is an outlet for all his thoughts and frustrations of the past few years, and it harks back to the classic britcore sound in places but, never loses sight of where we are now. There are some guest appearances from Skinnyman and a host of Welsh artists too.

So, take a step back for just a second and let that all sink in…

Now join me as I step well and truly into the firing line.

 

With his finger pressed lightly on the trigger, twin lasers produce stereo red dots, one for each ear, guiding the musical frequencies with pinpoint accuracy to their destination, your ears, as the Intro prepares you for what is to come, with sonic sounds and a movie style audio, your attention is focus in one spot, what’s about to come. Then the shots erupt, cleansing your senses of every other sound which allows the strings and vocal samples to guide you to Darkstreetz III, before the beat kicks in and 4Dee takes you to streets of Cardiff. These are the dark streets of life that you can only get a grasp of through 4Dee’s emotive story telling an inner-city nightmare where people do what they do to survive or simply escape from the nightmare through a drug fuelled haze. With your mind still standing in the shadows of the place where darkness is your only friend, a heavy beat drops, catapulting you out of that dark space and into the light with The Anthem, which begins with some solid shout-outs. Those shout outs continue through the track alongside some classic samples, cutting and scratching, 4Dee’s anthem is a Hip Hop anthem and celebrates everything that makes Hip Hop what it is and more. You can’t do anything but, bounce to this one because it fuels the adrenaline inside you and allowing you close your eyes and feel the energy and vibration of what true Hip Hop is.

Unstoppable see’s Joe Blow join 4Dee as guitar vibes have us stepping into the track before a heavy beat explodes getting you jumping. Joe Blow and 4Dee bounce off each other with ease with a vocal display that demonstrates one thing, why they are Unstoppable. Next up is a little light relief with a Marching Skit, courtesy of Monty Pythons Flying Circus. But, if there is anything you’d rather be doing, like listening to the rest of the album, then off you go! But there is a warning to come of an imminent threat, that threat is Chemical Warfare. A melodic beat and electronic vibes set the tone for this one as 4Dee takes aim at the state of life around us. This is a society where chemicals are put in our food and sprayed in the skies above us But, not just that because it goes beyond the chemical as frequencies are manipulated under the guise of bringing us wireless internet and phone signals, invisible signals we have no control over and that permeate our bodies every day, just as do the chemicals in the food and the air around us.

MPD Skit opens up the subject of child trafficking and questions the narrative that they only do it due to borderline personality disorder. These are often highly organised groups who make a lot of money doing what they do. Are these people with BPD or just sick individuals catering to an even sicker clientele? With that thought in mind, you’re wondering what is next when the cut-up pocket watch chime from the movie A Few Dollars More grabs your attention followed by a heavy beat. The Hex Files see’s 4Dee voicing both sides in a battle of light and darkness, one side is the light in its current human form, whilst the other is the dark-side or an evil entity bent on an age-old revenge against what now the descendant of those who cast out the evil many years ago. It may even have you considering where the true definition of evil lies, in this case. We reach the mid-point of the album with Rebellious Energies a hardcore and raw beat with razor sharp cuts which has that britcore vibe running through every second. It might sound like this one is just a collection of intelligent metaphors and similes crafted into crowd rousing slice of audible goodness but, its more than that, because this is where the energy to take a stand begins, this the medium that speaks to those who need to hear it…

More pounding drums herald the arrival of Versed & Cursed, the faint sound of keys on the verses and the heavy bass and electronic vibe of the chorus gives this one sound that is akin to britcore mixed with horrorcore. 4Dee and Chew go in on this one that seems to almost explore the deepest darkest fears, whilst taking a look through the eyes of both good and evil. It’s almost a sequel to the Hex Files. With your soul in taters, you wonder if there is any way back to the land of the living But, there is a lifeline and comes in the most curious of ways as the Theme from Ironside rips into your consciousness literally dragging you back to life and preparing you for 8 Barz of Fire. Heavy drums, bass and strings combine to get your head nodding, exactly what you needed is seven plus minutes of pulse pounding, flame spitting and adrenaline pumping pleasure courtesy of 4Dee, Joe Blow, Mr Phormula, Delisha, Fiya Da Flame, Big Loon, Scott Keltic Knot, Emarvellous, Brighty, Ads The Barbarian, Versatyle, Ezquniverse, Melo, Dick Dastardly, Slammo, Chilly Chill, Swell, 7breaths, Chew Np11, Lex Scoops and DJ Jaffa. You wanted a posse cut Welsh Hip Hop style; well, you got it. Time for a short interlude courtesy of the My Pen is my Rifle Skit, as taken from Platoon, which symbolises the fact that the emcees main weapon is their pen, loaded with ammunition from their mind…

The ammunition in the mind of 4Dee is put to good use on the title track of the album, Shots Fired, also the one track on the album that is not produced by him, being produced by Acko. Pounding drums, cuts and synths give this one heavy feel which is based around a piece of classical music (which sadly escapes my memory right now). 4Dee uses everything in his verbal arsenal to unload a relentless salvo of bars to assault your mind, while also giving you the energy to jump around to this one. Next is another interlude in the form of the Stolen Skit, this one looks at the story of a very shady social worker who will obviously stop at nothing to remove a child from their parents. This is a rather scary vision that may or may not reflect things that can happen. It puts you in mind of a broken system that in turn is the product of a Broken Britain, the subject of the next track and see’s 4Dee being joined by Joe Blow and the legendary Skinnyman. The beat is a combination of melodic drums and guitar which creates this reflective vibe. The subject of this track is far to involved to go into in depth but, it extremely important for everyone to be educated on. The legal fiction or strawman was created by registering you birth, and it is a subject well worth researching and what it means for you as a person. This is how your country truly cares about you…  

No Paperwork Skit is another truly disturbing interlude with real people describing real events and shows what can happen is this so called ‘Great’ Britain. As you real from those words, drums pound your ears, closely followed by an electric bass sound that twists your every nerve. 4Dee then gives the Lowdown on who he is as a rapper. All you have to do here is to just listen and understand exactly what his pedigree is. On to the last track of the album, Ununited Kingdom has an upbeat vibe that combines drums, horns, keys, and cuts, for one of those keep you moving beats. 4Dee takes a look at the reality of nation we live in, this so-called United Kingdom or Great Britain but, is it really either of those things? The people who make this nation great have to deal with oppression, racism and control, the only thing that unites most of us is the fact that we are treated less like people and more like numbers or as an ends to a means. In the eyes of those in a position of power we are simply the workers, the ones they tread on to reach higher and higher wealth and power but, we are the ones with true power if we only realised it…

Phew, I mean what a ride that was…

That is what you might call a powerhouse of grown man Hip Hop. It shows an unflinching and unapologetic vision of what it is to live in the UK at this current time. It’s not a very pretty picture but, then when we are all struggling to pay our bills and to afford the essentials, or even making ourselves ill from a constant pursuit of money to live comfortably, there is no way to sugar coat it and that is exactly what 4Dee does here, he lays all the cards on the table and says ‘there ya go. That is the stark reality of society right now’. He does it in a way that anyone can sit and listen to it and say ‘yeah, I understand that. This guy knows what he’s talking about’. He speaks to everyone on a level that shows he knows how it feels to have been there, and it helps when you know people get where you’re coming from.

Shots Fired is a rollercoaster from start to finish. Yes, it’s dark in places but, that is the nature of our society but, it’s not all doom and gloom. There is still much to listen to and to simply enjoy and more than enough to get your heads nodding and fists pumping.

4Dee shows his pedigree in many ways here delivering some solid production that instinctively captures the soundscape of live and his wordplay and story writing has a true depth to it that only comes from experience of the highs and lows of what life has to offer. I have to take my hat of to him for delivering a stunning album here in which you can feel the roots of that real Hip Hop sound but, also one that is mixed with the gritty and raw power of true-life experience.

It would be amiss of me not to mention the guest artists who feature here. From the legendary figure of Skinnyman and long-time collaborators Joe Blow and DJ Jaffa, to the wealth of Welsh artists on 8 Barz of Fire, everyone of them brings their own style and presence to the album and what this does is pack the clip full of mind piercing vocal hollow points and turntable trickery as sharp as a bayonet.

There really isn’t much more I can say about this album except that I really advice you grab it and give it a listen. Because the only way to get the most out of it will be to immerse yourself in it personally.

Shots Fired is out today, exclusively on Bandcamp via Veteran Records, A label that might have only been going about a year but already has an impressive catalogue of releases. All other platforms will see the release on 14th May.

 

My humble thanks to 4Dee for asking me to review this and for the Bio which formed the foundation for the beginning of this article.

On that Note,

I’m out, See ya.

Steve.

LINKS

Shots Fired will be available through Bandcamp Here:

https://4dee1.bandcamp.com/music

Check the Veteran Records website Here:

https://veteranrecords.co.uk/

Veteran Records on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/veteranrecordsfb

Links for the Broken Britain single release (Inc. all streaming links):

https://songwhip.com/4dee/broken-britain

4Dee YouTube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGapm2D36Ro79Ybrt7lvNkg

VIDEOS

Broken Britain

The Anthem

 

 

EP Review: Bamboozled by Ty Healy and produced by Pandamonium

 

Bamboozled

By

Ty Healy and Pandamonium

 

Bamboozled is the new EP release from Ty Healy (The Local Healers) and Pandamonium. Now these guys have worked together a few times in last few years, most notably on The Long Year EP where the Local Healers and Louis Cypher teamed with Pandamonium. So, it only seems right these guys got together and dropped something.

Actually, this one has been in the works since last year but, a few minor delays meant the guys put off a release until now.

There is little I can say about these guys that’s I’ve not said before so, let’s get into it…

 

The EP Bamboozles you from the get-go as the Introduction hits with this mix of bass, percussion and a sprinkling of nerve shedding electric guitar notes, all mixed together it gets you head nodding but, not in the usual way and we are introduced to the Panda and the Healer…

Now there is some small hint of a frame of reference as to what to expect, the EP in earnest with Finesse. Flute notes, acoustic guitar and space drum notes take us to a summer evening on the riviera, kinda vibe. That vibe and the very essence of finesse, continues as Ty Healy spins us some slick words about being on holiday and soaking up the weather and the whole ambiance of it but, he also talks about seeing and wanting to meet a beautiful woman. This just epitomises what those warm summer days are all about and helps us to sail away into those beautiful sunsets on sandy beaches, dreaming of what’s to come. As we are drifting away somewhere warm and sunny, the sound changes and the rhythmic sound of cymbals fills our ears followed by a slightly more heavy sound that is underpinned by an orchestral vibe that lifts you from the riviera and lets you float down into another place where the sun is so bright you need your shades with the Tortoise Shell Frames. Here Ty gives us three verses where metaphors and similes abound and take us from the way he dressed back in the day, through a little bit a light-hearted braggadocio and on into views of things that are more apparent in todays world. In fact you can easily imagine your sat, chilling on a summer eve, chewing the fat with Ty over all these things and more…

Xylophone and cymbal notes take us into Kick A Rhyme with a Panda jazzed up vibe that gets you grooving. Here Ty drops the perfect display of the definition of what it is to Kick A Rhyme. Take a load of random thoughts and words, mix in some similes, metaphors and a desire to move the crowd and this is what you get, boom, ya heard. Sounds of bass and percussion elements merge into this funky vibe that keeps ya body moving with China Town. This time we find Ty laying down words on what it is to have a bust schedule doing your best to get the music out there and get it out for the enjoyment of, well me and you right. You get the metaphor here in that China Town, especially in movies and such, is pictured as this bustling busy place where people move around, always on the go and that is what it is like when you getting you’re getting that underground music sound out to the people. Next, Panda drops this chilled out jazz/funk organ based vibe with double bass and chilled drums. This sound gives us time to sit back and reminisce, which is exactly what Ty Healy does here on In The 90s. He takes us back to those days, speaking on growing up and what he saw going on around him. It really takes you back to where you were and what you were doing then too but, more than that there is a real emotive element to it too, touching parts buried deep down in the soul.

The EP is not over just yet as there is one more track to please the ears and here Pandamonium treats us to a little remix, as he has become accustomed to doing more recently on his releases. Here we get treated to a remix of a recent track from producer, singer, DJ and more, O.Love (aka Asian Hawk) from Bath, UK. Panda remixed the track Refuse and got Ty Healy to guest on the track, he then did a little Refuse (Bamboozled Edit) for the EP. The sound is bass and drum heavy with a hint of piano notes. O.Love drops some slick funky vocals that are silkier than a bar of galaxy chocolate and Ty slides in with verse that perfectly compliments the vibe of this one which is really all about never giving up, no matter what happens or what people say, you gotta keep ya focus on your dreams always forging on in the face of adversity, just refuse to lose. This is O.Love’s brand of neo-soul, funk, R&B, given a funky Hip Hop rejiggle courtesy of Panda and the Healer.

 

Lets be honest here and first things first, it’s plainly obvious from this EP that Pandamonium and Ty Healy work so well together. They seem to bounce of each other seamlessly with each fitting and vibing with the other that it produces this flawless example of what can happen when artists just, click together.

I really don’t know what more I can say here…

Ty Healy has an intelligent and witty way of writing and delivering his lyrics. He mixes up flows and styles and has a knack of incorporating many different elements from straight up lyricism to emotive lyrics that touch you and bring up many memories. All the While Pandamonium is providing his brand of Hip Hop beats that are the perfect fit and gives Ty and the listener this audible backdrop that just fit with anything and all the while has this thread of feelgood woven into it.

Overall, I just want to say that if you think this is just gonna be another Hip Hop EP to put with all the others, then you’re about to be Bamboozled by Ty Healy and Pandamonium. This is cracking release that will have you grooving on the warm summer days and keeping there when the temperatures dive outside, always with a smile on your face.

Bamboozled by Ty Healy and Pandamonium is available today, exclusively via Bandcamp and features all the instrumentals too. It will also be coming soon to all streaming platforms too. Plus, keep your eyes peeled, because I have a feeling this is not the last you're gonna here about Bamboozled, but for now my lips are sealed…

Oh Yeah,

See Ya…

Steve

LINKS

Get Bamboozled Exclusively from Bandcamp Here:

https://djpandamonium.bandcamp.com/album/ty-healy-pandamonium-bamboozled

VIDEOS

Kick A Rhyme 

Bamboozled Listening Party on GRYSKLL Live 29.04.2023

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Single Review: Under His Eye / Quid Game and Swords Out by MUZ

 

Under His Eye / Quid Game

Plus Bonus review of Swords Out

By

MUZ

 

NOTE: These reviews were originally written back in early 2022 but, Life being what it is, it often gets the better of us, and as such it meant that there has been a delay in the releasing these cracking tracks from MUZ. With the release of Swords Out, we both decided to get these reviews out and to add some anticipation for the coming releases of Under His Eye and Quid Game. I have changed nothing in these reviews and they are presented here as written in June 2022 which why Swords Out is a bonus review on this one, so enjoy. Steve, Infinite Sounds UK May 2023.

My introduction to MUZ was back in October 2021 when I reviewed The Dead Wait. I was impressed with all aspects of that album and so, as 2022 kicked off it was a no brainer to add his new single to what was a short list at the time.

With the Wakefield emcee delivering such a deep look at life and society on the album, I was intrigued to see what Under His Eye and Quid Game had to say. So, lets just get straight into it…

 

Under His Eye hits with an almost deep dark atmosphere that is created by pounding drums, sonic sounds, bells and nerve shredding cuts. The bells act like some kind of death knell which is key to tracks atmospheric vibe. MUZ gives us a verbal commentary that is akin to a more modern version of 1984 or even the Handmaids Tale but, this story is not a work of fiction. He takes a look at what is happening in the world around him, speaking unflinchingly on aspects of the shadowy nature of the powers that be. Here there is nowhere for the truth to hide, for there are times when the truth can be as dark and disturbing as any fictional story. In fact, if you look at the world around you and overlay those fictional narratives such as 1984 or The Handmaids Tale, there are plenty of situations that closely match our current society. Now Under His Eye might come for the mind MUZ but, is his frightening view of life much different to any of us? Something to ponder right here…

Quid Game begins with this emotive keyboard that is the basis of the track and once the sparse drums and cymbals drop in, it creates the kind of sound that crawls into the deepest parts of you very being. That whole vibe suggests to you that what’s about to be said will have an equally deep quality and MUZ does not disappoint. The subject here seems to be focused on all those who chose to close their eyes to the truth of what happens around them. So many believe, without question, the words of the media, spin doctors and those in a position of power. They do not see what is right or what is wrong, even when the facts simply don’t add up, simply accepting the narrative as the only truth with closed minds. It’s all about the money, not the greater good of population, we are just expendable workers helping the rich get richer. There is a solution, we can change this by being united and standing up as one, asking the tough questions and being the tide of change. The track samples music from and is based around the infamous TV Series, Squid Game, currently streaming on Netflix.

 

Once again MUZ uses his wordplay skills to create, on the face of it, these bleak visions of a world spiralling ever downwards and he does have this uncanny knack of being able to take a look at what’s going on around him and then to paint and audible picture that reflects so much of what so many know to be true but, are afraid to accept. The world is not always a beautiful place and there are times we need to see thew hard truth, because once we see that truth, we can also see that beyond the negativity and the apparent darkness, there is a brightness, there is a better day. We may well have to work hard and fight for those brighter days but, we can do it and the key is that one simple word, We. Together anything is possible.

As much as I like music that entertains and makes me feel good, I also like the kind of music that makes me sit up and take notice, that makes me work and read between the lines to see what’s beyond the surface and I have to commend MUZ here as his vocals always make me do that. Not to mention the production which always creates just the right sound scape as the backdrop for those vocals. This is deep intelligent Hip Hop for those looking for a bit of a challenge. So, I challenge you to take a listen and formulate your own thoughts…

As a bonus here I am going to include a review of another single from MUZ that is likely, at the time of writing, to see a release prior to Under His Eye and Quid Game. That track is Swords Out which sees MUZ, Eskar, Kemetstry, Watson G and Precinct Phantom joining forces. Their musical background is a mixture of oriental vibes and space drums that really give this one an ominous sound, like you are being stalked on all side by an invisible foe. That invisible foe are the five emcees you have just been introduced to, each of whom bring their own style, their own blade. One after the other they now strike from the darkness, their individual rhyming skills slicing deep into your awareness. With no way of knowing which way the strikes may come from, you slowly sink to your knees under the weight of the verbal assault, you wonder if there is a point to all of this or if it is just for fun but, as the lyrical finally stops you open your eyes to see those five emcees stood over you, blades pointed at you head, and just you wonder what’s next? It’s all over and you are allowed walk away…

This raw and almost brutal posse style track uses Samurai imagery to grab your attention. The kinda of this used by so many artists over the years, especially the Wu-Tang Clan. The respect and skill commanded by the samurai made them a formidable foe and that style is reflected here by five emcees who use their own rap styles to mimic the fighting style of the samurai warriors. Each lays down bar after bar of expert flows and knowledgeable wordplay that leaves you in no doubt that these guys can take any sentence and turn it into a lethal weapon to expertly carve up your fragile awareness.

So, overall, we have three tracks here that display the skill of MUZ on both production and as an emcee. It really goes to prove that MUZ is continuing to show just what a force he is within the UK Hip Hop scene, he is also a top bloke too, proving not only that Hip Hop is alive and well in the UK but, also that the UK scene continues to grow in strength and quality.

Swords Out is available Now with Under His Eye and Quid Game to be available in the not-too-distant future, so keep your eyes peeled for these.

On that note,

I’m Out,

Steve

LINKS

Don't forget to search for MUZ on all good streaming platforms too.

Get Swords Out from MUZ on Bandcamp Here: 

https://murypoppinz.bandcamp.com/track/swords-out-ft-eskar-kemetstry-watson-g-precinct-phantom

  

VIDEOS

SWORDS OUT