Firework
Factory
By
Kemastry X
Harvs Le Toad
It is a pleasure to have Kemastry back on the blog with his
recent album release Firework Factory alongside London based Harvs Le
Toad. This was released back at the end of February and one I have to apologise
for taking the time to get to.
Now, with everything that is going on personally, I have not
had the time to pull together the usual research I do, so apologies to Harvs Le
Toad for not dropping a bit more about him here. Kemastry has featured on the
blog before with the powerful Revolutionary which was alongside producer
King Boyden, so you can read a bit more about Kemastry there. As for this album
I thought I would let Kemastry’s own words about the album give you a little
sneek peek before I deep dive myself. So, he notes the following:
“Firework Factory is a story of destruction. We started
creating it in Brighton before the project had a name or purpose but after I
had beat a psychological and emotional retreat from the seaside town over 5
years ago. Most of it was written in London to a backdrop of self-inflicted
chaos that I consistently found myself so immersed in. As with most of my music
it's a story of addiction, heartbreak and dreams but I think the difference
this time is I was really trying to understand the cycles of carnage as a means
to find ways to escape them. Whether I achieved that or not you’ll have to
listen and decide for yourselves. I'm immensely proud of this project and it's
really special to me so all your support is greatly appreciated. Ladies and
Gentleman coming to a digital mind control device near you....
Firework Factory”
If that didn’t give you enough to think about, join me as I
bring you my insights into Firework Factory…
It begins with Lovesick which features sax from BNMO.
This one has a sound that has a LoFi edge to it, but the sax adds this jazzy
undertone, at points. The sounds just makes you focus on Kemastry’s vocals
which are almost spoken word. As we sit beside him, we find a man in
reflection, thinking of a life of struggles, hard choices, anger,
self-destruction, and how he treated those around him. He sits in this space as
love has finally found him but, walked away and he finally realises what love
means and how it makes him question everything in pursuit of its return. With
those thoughts hitting home, we move on to Freak Show, which features
Young 40 and bass from Chris Richards, and production comes from Harvs Le Toad
and Pitch 92. The sound on this one has chilled beat with guitar elements and
keys giving a vibe that is emotive, making you want to close your eyes and just
soak it up. There is a feeling here that this one speaks on way we so often
repeat the same mistakes over and over, not truly understanding what we are
doing until the day we finally see the truth and step out of that freak show.
Already with so much to think about, Autopsy brings an appearance from
Jazz T, the beat has this head nod edge to it and the acoustic guitar gives it
a subtle mariachi vibe. Kemastry’s vocals have harder edge, picking up the pace
too. There is a feeling inside, as you listen, that this one is speaking on how
easy it is to just conform and be ‘normal’ and do what is expected, the minute
you step away from that, they try to pick you apart and wonder why you are
doing what is expected. It is a struggle to step outside of what is seen as
normal, and this is what many of us face as we seem to be our true selves, for
our true selves do not conform to everyday normality.
All Breaks No Gas has production from Harvs Le Toad
and Allen Keys, plus bass from Chris Richards, alongside keys and drums that
all come together to give this one a sound has a funk soul vibe and more,
drawing you in and getting you moving, almost unconsciously. The way this one
spoke to me was feeling like you have no energy left, everything is forcing you
to stop and yet you keep going somehow. You realise you need to get away,
recharge and remember who you truly are, but the daily grind keeps you in this
constant state of purgatory, neither one place nor the next, like a battery
that won’t charge above 20 percent. Next up is the albums title track Firework
Factory. This one features sax by BNMO and harp from Szofia Rosza. This one
has a soulful LoFi sound that brings an emotive vibe with it. Mixing rapped
vocals and spoken word, Kemastry brings us a deeply touching track which looks
at the explosive moments of light and colour which are created amidst the dark
days, as we walk the path of life. These are the moments that can change our
direction as we understand the outcomes of difficult decisions and wrong doings.
These moments of clarity, understanding and learning ultimately shine a light
on new directions for our paths. Wasp Hurricane features King Kashmere
alongside Kemastry while Harvs Le Toad brings us a sound that hits harder with
a proper boom bap vibe. This one makes you think, am I sitting here in the eye
of the storm or am I the storm looking around me at where I’ve been and where
I’m going? Perhaps we have elements of both here or maybe it’s more than that
as the storm is all in the mind, and everything else is just a reflection of
what is seen through that filter. We are complex beings and our experiences are
all individual and how our lived experience affects our lives colours our
perception of life around us, at times it is a storm but, one we ultimately
control.
Flood Gates brings the sound back to a more laid-back
vibe with elements that seem to tweak the nerves just a little. This one spoke
to me on many levels as I know how overwhelming thoughts can be, and there are
times when you just have to let it out, write it down, get it out in some way.
If you don’t and you hold onto it, these thoughts will consume you and take you
down a dark path. Especially when the world you see is such a tumultuous place,
where you constantly seem to be beaten down and nothing seems real. From those
deep thoughts, Still brings a sound that seems to lighten the mood
somewhat. A solid drumbeat is backed with xylophone notes, bass and more that
has a vibe that promotes a more optimistic outlook. That optimistic vibe is
reflected in the lyrics, which have a reflective air to them. You get this
feeling that the hardships and struggles might still be going on but actually,
there are reasons to look on the Brightside and there are glimpses of blue
skies beyond grey clouds and rain. Lavenders Interlude has a nice head
nod vibe with keys and bass elements that give this one an infectious sound
that gets the adrenaline flowing slightly. At first you might wonder exactly
where this one is going but, keep listening and you realise that this one is
all about shattered relationships. Those relationships could be with a
significant other or perhaps a relationship with an addiction of a different
type. These addictive and destructive relationships constantly cause to go
round in the same circle, making the same mistakes, before that one day when we
finally break the loop and let go…
Shrapnel features Jack Danz and DatKid alongside
Kemastry as Harvs Le Toad drops a heavy beat with organ and flute notes that
brings a sound that has you sitting back like you just inhaled something
potent, while samples from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas drift into
your awareness. At first, you might be mistaken for thinking this one is an
explosion of lyricism with words as the shrapnel, but it is so much more than
that and seems to continue the focus on addiction, particularly the effects of
drug addiction, and not just the effects on addicted, but also how those who
supply are addicted to supplying it and making money. I might be wrong, but
that seemed to be what I saw within this. Indigo Man has sax from BNMO
and features Verbz and additional vocals from Olympia Vitalis. The organ notes
and laid-back beat give this one a LoFi edge, although there are harder
sections and sax elements which each bring different vibes along the way. There
is a reflective side to this one too, which becomes apparent when the lyrics
hit. It reflects on experiences that brought you to this point but, also
personal thoughts and feelings on how the world around plays a part in the
point where you currently find yourself. There is good and bad along the way
all contributing to your thoughts about the self, who you truly are, and where
that might take you. It’s Not My Fault has a sound where keys take the
forefront giving this a thoughtful air. More of a spoken word vibe this one
speaks on a difficult relationship break-up. This is like one man sitting down,
speaking candidly of the situation, from the deeply cutting harsh words to
understanding that it was never always this way. The ultimate message here
seems to be that no one is willing to take any responsibility for their own
actions and so there is no hope of reconciliation because there is no
understanding of what changed and what caused the breakdown in communication.
It is also worth noting that there is a heavy sound in the background, and if
you are listening on headphones, might make you pause because its sounds like
it came from the environment around you and not the track. This could even be
an unconscious reflection of the message in the track, something that makes you
second guess, think again on what is happening and what the causes might be…
We find ourselves at the penultimate track of the album Jezebels
and Jellybeans, which is produced by Harvs Le Toad and Illiterate, and
features Mazey June. The organ notes and heavy beat gives this one a soulful
edge, especially with Mazey’s soulful vocals. You can’t help but, subtly move
to as you listen. Listening to this one almost feels like a reflection on what
has gone before, and in a way it is. Kemastry invites us to look at the
perceived flaws we see around us in society, and to look for the perfection in
those flaws. The things we see as hurting us, damaging us and so on, always
have something to teach us, and learning from these things is the perfection we
need to understand. You just have to listen to the lyrics to truly understand
and feel what is contained within. I would also echo something else he says,
“music saved my life”, this is a statement that I feel is so important. Music
has the power to many things, most importantly it can change our mood and
energy, use it in the right way and it can change your life. I have felt this
many times myself and can honestly say that I would not be the person I am
today without the impact music has had. Finally, we reach the final track of
the album, Everything Baegyal which features sax by BNMO and additional
keys from Allen Keys. The sound on this one is one that will make you want to
kick back, close your eyes and just drift off. As you listen the soulful sound
merge with the lyrics to create images in your mind, images that elicit
thoughts of why we do the things we do. Life gives us so many opportunities and
different paths to follow, and so many times our impulsive decisions cause us
to think again. Maybe the message here is not to question why, but just accept
it, let go of the second guessing as it brings to much with it and we spend
more time in those thoughts…
Let’s not beat around the bush with this one because the
impact and deep nature of Firework Factory is huge. This is not one of those
albums you can just bung on and enjoy, this one will make you think,
regardless. It almost demands your undivided attention because it speaks on so
many levels.
You could say that Kemastry and Harvs Le Toad have created a
detailed audible map on what it is to create those moments of explosive light
in the moments of darkness. However, it is more than just that through lived
experience, skilled lyricism and skilled production, they have created an album
that both shows you the darkness in society and within and then teases how to
go about looking for cracks in that darkness. Inviting you to look deeper
inside because most of the answers are there. Just have to be prepared to look.
What I especially like here is that Harvs Le Toad has
created a sound scape across the album, that appears to be juxtaposed to the
lyrics. Kemastry delivers some deeply thought-provoking lyricism that is often
hard hitting and at other times almost caring and emotive. You might think the
lyrics and the messages they carry demand a harder rawer sound to carry them,
but that is not the case here as Harvs Le Toad brings a softer more emotive
sound that works just as well, allowing the words to carry more impact.
Something which works so well here.
There is no denying that Kemastry puts a lot into the
wordplay he uses. The bars often catch you off guard and elicit an impact on
your awareness that you were not expecting. Every track here has a deep
insightful edge to it that you really have to listen to, and even if you just
put it on, not thinking, it won’t take long before you find yourself immersed
into each track, and thinking far beyond just enjoying the sound.
The guest artists all do a solid job of complimenting the
vibe of the album and individual tracks. Nowhere do they seem out of place and
add another dimension to the proceedings. Likewise, the use of guest musicians
is masterful as the sound of live instruments adds a deeper dimension to the
sound that you can’t get in any other way.
Overall, Firework Factory will entertain, captivate, and
give you pause for thought. It is one of the most insightful and impactful
albums I have heard this year and will definitely be one of the standout albums
of the year on many levels.
My huge thanks to Kemastry for putting this one my way.
Firework Factory is out now and well worth your time to
check out.
Be seeing ya.
Steve.
LINKS
Grab your copy here:
https://kemastry.bandcamp.com/album/firework-factory
Firework Factory Streaming:
https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/kemastryharvsletoad/firework-factory?ref=release
Socials:
Kemastry:
https://www.instagram.com/donald_surfaces/?hl=en
https://www.facebook.com/kemastry
Harvs Le Toad:
https://www.instagram.com/harvsletoad/?hl=en
https://www.facebook.com/captainharvs
VIDEOS
All Breaks No Gas
Firework Factory