Space Bear
Clique / Waiting in the Wings
By
Doozer
Produced by
Djar One, Cuts by Specifik
It is an absolute pleasure to bring you an exclusive review
of the upcoming addition to the B-Line Recordings catalogue. Space Bear Clique
and the flip side Waiting in the Wings is a forthcoming single release from
longtime B-Line collaborator the Doozer (Critically Ill, Contraflow Collective),
featuring production from French producer and another B-Line collaborator Djar
One, the single also features cuts from B-Lines head honcho himself, Specifik.
Now, this single has actually been sitting on the shelf for
a little while, so its interesting that the B-side is called Waiting in the
Wings as this single has been doing just that. I had a sniff of this one while
having a chat with B-Line’s own Whirlwind D on a trip to Southampton some months back. This review was initially written for the Headz-zine Vol. 2 Issue 2, written and compiled by Adam De Paor-Evans (Project Cee). It came about when my initial review for this edition did not materialize and so I decided to
reach out to Specifik to see if he would like me to review it here and give you
a taste of what’s to come.
Without further ado, let’s get into it…
Space Bear Clique
Violins, cuts, and a proper funky beat get your head nodding
from the get-go on this one, in fact there is something about the sound and the
vibe from Djar One that’s gets your whole body movin’, swaying from side to
side as your head moves. This one seems to be precariously balanced between a
serious and tongue-in-cheek as Doozer takes a shot at the social media era that
we now find ourselves in. It is a time where so many people appear less
interested in their own lives and dreams and far more interested in the latest
funny meme that everyone is customising for their own ends, just to get a laugh
or poke fun at some unfortunate person or celebrity figure. But, it’s not all
that serious as Doozer takes a shot at flat earthers and the fact that there
are plenty of people out there who will believe anything that is one the
internet, as he points out you could say the earth is round and is being
juggled by huge space bear and shortly there would be a whole clique rising
from the belief that it is real. There are messages within this, like don’t be
so serious about what you see on the internet, take a lot of it with a pinch of
salt and don’t get drawn into everything you see. Also, don’t get distracted by
the constant stream of memes that constantly invade your awareness when you
scroll your social media feeds, they might be funny but, they also distract you
from the reality of what’s going on around you and some, to be honest, are
simply exploiting the pain of others. The real message though is just to not
forget who you are and the dreams you have and don’t let the internet and
social media distract you from what truly matters.
Waiting in the Wings
For this one Djar One combines another solid boom bap beat
with some xylophone notes to create another infectious sound that has the
energy to get you moving or just sit nodding your head to, like I’m doing right
now. This one has a bit more of a serious edge to it as Doozer focuses on
what’s going on in the world around him right now. The more you listen the more
it become apparent that this is looking at all the changes that happen around
us from the rising cost of living to those who govern and those who protest. So
many of the choices we encounter or make, result in a negative outcome because
to much focus is placed on making one thing happen and less on just how to get
to that conclusion. Rising prices put more and more pressure on those who
already struggle, because prices rise because of the greed of those with the
ultimate control. So, many poor decisions are made because too many are feeding
their own ego’s instead of focusing on what truly matters in their lives. The
thing is that with every facet of life in all we do there is so often someone
else standing by to take our place either through our own failings or by taking
advantage and pushing you aside. We need our choices to have a positive impact
on our lives and the lives of those around us. We all stand by those who mean
something to us, if that sentiment could be broadened and adopted by everyone
then who knows what world we could create for ourselves.
It is obvious from my extended reviews for each track here
that they both elicited and fairly strong response in me; in fact, and if I’m
honest, I could have written much more but, I always enjoy when I listen to
something that allows me to do this because it means that even if I have not
got the meaning of the track exactly, it does mean that I felt enough for it to
allow my feeling to connect on some level and often that enough and Doozers
words and how he crafts those for each track, certainly got me thinking and
feeling, to the point my mind was nearly running away with me. He definitely
has a skilful way of taking a message and spinning it in such a way through
wordplay that it is both entertaining and thought provoking. Doozer is
definitely one of the UK’s underrated rap artists, in my humble opinion.
If we are speaking of skill, then we can’t overlook Djar One
or Specifik. Djar One is one of those producers who has this uncanny talent for
taking the most obscure samples and flipping them into something brand new that
can bring a smile to your face and have your head nodding on an almost
unconscious level, and here are two great examples of what he does. One the
face of it they seem to be two cracking Hip Hop boom bap beats but, when you go
beyond that you realise that it takes a keen mind to know exactly how to chop
up a sample and to add in all the little elements to get it just right and here
two perfect examples as to why Djar One is one of the best out there. As for
Specifik, well, what would a Hip Hop track be with out some cuts? Well, without
cuts it could always be a little better and here Specifik shows just how a
DJ/Producer knows how to put the right cuts in the right place to add that
extra something to each track. It seems like a six-sense know how to select the
right cuts and scratch pattern to bring the track alive.
When all is said and done Space Bear Clique and Waiting in
the Wings are not just a welcome addition to the B-Line catalogue but, I can
see this single doing big things on its release. So, I would say don’t sleep on
this one because those 7-inch singles are gonna go quicker than a shooting star
streaking across the night sky.
Space Bear Clique and Waiting in the Wings will be available
soon through B-Line Recordings in conjunction with Hip Hop Be Bop and features
some great artwork and direction from John Dyer.
On that note,
I’ll see you next time.
Steve
LINKS
The single has not been released yet so keep watch on socials for details of the release date.
Please expect to see copies over at Hip Hop Be Bop:
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