Album Review: Future Crates 2 by Chess Moves

 

Future Crates 2

By

Chess Moves

 

A couple of months ago I treated you to my take on Chess Moves beat tape, Future Crates 1, a 29-track monster that mixed up the vibes and gave you one hell of a look at the creative mind of the London based producer. Well, now he is back with Future Crates 2 and this is even more of a monster than the first with massive 36 tracks but, this one will be a little easier on the fingers as 13 of those are interludes.

I’ll let the man himself tell you what it’s about “A crates, vinyl sampling excursion of drum breaks excavated from deep in the basement through the dust and cobwebs and hauled into the studio for a re-awakening. Polyrhythm time structures in the beat assembly process and use of LFO's and filters combined, bring forward moving dynamics to give the tracks motion. Others hit hard like a heavy boom bap sound reminiscent of the 90's Hip Hop Production sound through grain, saturation, and compression. 36 tracks of Hip Hop / Crate Digging Instrumentalism goodness for those in the game that are firmly embedded in the culture and art as well as those that are getting introduced to it with fresh eyes and ears.”

With that in mind, let’s get into it…

It all kicks off with the Intro (Interlude 1) with is a few seconds of heavy drums and cut up samples to whet your appetite before things really heat up with The Calling, this one is a heavy pulse pounding sound with a background electronic element that just eases the impact a little but, not enough to stop you needing to catch ya breath. Interlude 2 hits some classic drum samples that sound straight out the SP1200 with Trouble Funks ‘Pump Me Up’ cut up over the top for good measure before it’s straight into Fundamental Techniques, more heavy boom bap drums with guitar and electronic samples mixed together to give you the fundamentals of putting a beat together. Interlude 3 takes that cut up Pump Me Up section from the previous Interlude but, adds a different drum program to it, just to mix things up.

Independent Part Movement has heavy drums and guitars that has this reverb effect placed on it, this means this one hits with less intensity, which is in complete contrast to the following beat, Overlapping Parallelism, with its mix of rough bass sound and button pushing goodness, this one messes with your head while still making bob your head. It has more of an action soundtrack vibe to it. Multipart Phenomena is just that with multiple elements of drums, percussion, keys, drums and sampled vocal bits, all mixed into one multi-layered vibe. Distinctive Elements is, again, aptly named as there is this distinctive sound to each element. There is one drum beat over which are several orchestral / soundtracks samples that produce this almost eerie sense of anticipation.

Interlude 4 is another host of cut-up samples with a sampled drum loop, just giving a little boom bap pallet cleanser between beats. Heterophony almost seems to overload your awareness until you understand what it is, the definition of this type of musical texture as a simultaneous variation on a single melodic line. Now you can soak up the drums and electronic vibes safe in the knowledge you now understand what it’s all about. Next up is Of The Chamber, a jazzy mix of drum elements and piano notes with a few strings just to add to the depth and which leaves you wondering should you nod or sway to this one and the reverb here gives you feeling it was recorded in one, a chamber that is…

Interlude 5 takes us back to the SP1200 vibe with cut-up samples, taking you back, back into time. From the old skool, we are dragged back to the present with Prodigious Harmonics, which seems to open up the mind to new styles of boom bap music with this extensive display of Hip Hop harmonics to tease both your ears and your mind. Blurred Monody gives us a classic boom bap drum beat over which is these orchestral samples that have this emotional depth, a single melodic line, which is blurred by the head nod sound that carries you along. Interlude 6, once more, takes us back to the classic Hip Hop sound with percussion and cut-up vocal samples.

Homorhythm is a texture of music where all parts have a similar or very similar rhythm. Here there is this mix of drums with an occasional electronic note, all of which do appear to follow a similar rhythm, well they do to my ears anyway but, I’m not as young as I used to be. Superimposition is the art of layering things over the top of each other so that all elements are still evident, and you can hear this here with the drum layers. Structuration is the act of giving structure to something. Here there is a plethora of sounds all brought together in a way as to give structure to this particular beat, giving it an almost futuristic sound. As will the previous Interlude’s, Interlude 7 gives us our classic Hip Hop pallet cleanser of beat and cut-up samples as we move deeper into the second half of the album.

Ostinato Variations is a nerve shredding, electronic and drum sound which shows the very definition of the Ostinato musical pattern, where a short musical pattern is repeated persistently throughout the piece. Also, ostinato is Italian for stubborn so, it could be said this short repetitive pattern is also stubborn in its repetitiveness. After having your nerves tweaked in that way, you might be in need of Interlude 8, with more of its classic Hip Hop vibes and cut-up dope samples. How you compose your music says a lot about your creativity and, Modes Of Composition shows just that with a very heavy, pounding beat alongside a wealth of multi-layered sounds. The vibe of this one is so heavy it literally vibrates you to the very core of your being. Interlude 9 provides a welcome boom bap Hip Hop, head clearing vibe from that heaviness.

Homophonic is very much an electronic sound fest with a drum beat but, as with other tracks this reflects a specific musical texture which, in this case, is based on Homophonic or chordal music where the chords move together at the same speed. Interlude 10 now provides us with another brief reminder of the foundation of the music this album is built on. Contrapuntal Sketch is another track that merges electronic vibes with a heavy bassline. This sounds very much like a mixture of electro and John Carpenter and reflects the contrapuntal musical texture of using two contrasting melodic lines with different rhythm patterns. Heavy pounding drums and horns catapult us into Modal Framework, very much a headbanger vibe there are some orchestral elements that give this one a version on the Hip Hop soundtrack sound. This one reflects the type of music that uses modes in place of the more traditional harmonies.

Interlude 11 takes us back to a more electro vibe for our Hip Hop pallet cleanse and wiping the slate clean prior to listening to how the layers of sound, within a piece of music, interact on Interweaving Patterns. Here we have drums and different electronic sounds all weaved together to create a cohesive track which, once again, has a kind of soundtrack vibe running through it. Interlude 12 hits, for the penultimate interlude, to reset our minds to the classic Hip Hop vibe before Contrasted blasts into our ears with pounding drums and electronic sounds alongside this contrasting, dull repeating sound that acts like a weird siren trying to draw your attention away from heavy sound you want to nod your head to. The drumbeat takes a back seat on Schematics as the synthesizer sound steps to the forefront. This electronic soundscape takes you back to the work of Kraftwerk and the sound that inspired the electro sound of Hip Hop.

Time for one last Hip Hop drumbeat and cut-up samples to get you buzzing on Interlude 13 and then we draw back into The Presence Of Sound with a drum heavy track that sounds almost fractured in its initial sound until you realise that fractured sound is some kind of string instrument, tricking your ears and, for a brief moment, your mind too. With the focus on sound, now our only awareness, the final track Solfeggio treats us to a solid banger of a beat that makes you wanna get up and bounce around or, at the least, nod your head. There is also a more orchestral sound backing this which also holds your attention and reflects the ancient Solfeggio tones that were used from the 8^th century up to 1600’s. The original six note scale and the associated frequencies are said to keep the mind, body and spirit in perfect harmony.

 

Overall, what can I say about this beat tape?

It once again demonstrates the quality and creativeness of Chess Moves as a producer. Across this entire album there are is such a mix of styles and vibes that all originate from what Hip Hop producers and DJ’s did so well in digging in the crates of old long lost vinyl to resurrect those tunes and give them a new lease of life in a new genre of music.

But, more than just showing his expertise as a producer this album also shows how much Chess Moves knows about music itself by creating beats around different musical textures as well as styles and influences. What this does is demonstrate that it pays to know your music in depth so that you can create sampled music that reflects the style and texture of music that has been created for centuries. For instance, Contrapuntal or counterpoint was a musical style used by Johann Sebastian Bach in his compositions. Reflecting these differing musical styles and textures here, on what is far from a classical music album, shows a desire to show how Hip Hop influenced music can be just that and so much more. Chess moves has a knowledge and understanding of creating music that far expands on what I have heard done before. Even bringing in the ancient solfeggio tones is amazing, and I could have written a whole page just to explain what that is all about.

Future Crates 2 is not just a journey through beats inspired by Hip Hop music and the art of crate digging. Future Crates is a deep exploration of the association Hip Hop music has with the very roots of music itself. It might actually be future crates for future generations to dig in but, I can never see these crates going dusty anytime soon. There is a far deeper musical aspect to this beat tape than just being music to listen and be inspired by.

The future aspect of the album is also reflected in the artwork by Sentinal One which has this 2000AD, mega city One vibe about it.

This is one to listen to and make your own mind up about but, I have to say that I have learnt a lot about music in the research for this review which has opened my mind up somewhat.

Future Crates 2 is out on Bandcamp now and everywhere else on 14^th April.

My humble thanks to Chess Moves for sending this one over to me.

 

And on that 432hz note,

I’m out,

Steve.

LINKS

The only link you need for Future Crates 2 and Chess Moves:

https://linktr.ee/ChessMoves

 

 

 

Album Review: Future Crates by Chess Moves

 

Future Crates 1

By

Chess Moves

Cover Art by Sentinal One
 

It’s been a little while since I last featured anything from UK producer Chess Moves. I first featured the work of the London based Producer across 2020/2021, firstly with his work on the Debut Concrete Pad from Choco Doobs in 2020 and then in 2021 with the Brutal Live at the Guillotine 88 and the Remix project, both featuring Junior Disprol and DJ Mada, and ReadilyEquipped featuring DDubble Impactt.

Since that time Chess Moves has not been letting up on his work ethic and has dropped a string of releases. Many of these have been instrumental beats but, alongside these have been more releases with DDubble Impactt and the odd appearance from the likes of J.Zone, Statik Selektah and Ruste Juxx.

Future Crates was originally released on 3^rd February on Bandcamp, with YouTube and all other streaming services going live on 3^rd March, and is, as Chess Moves describes, A crates, vinyl sampling excursion of drum breaks excavated from deep in the basement through the dust and cobwebs and hauled into the studio for a re-awakening. Polyrhythm time structures in the beat assembly process and use of LFO's and filters combined, bring forward moving dynamics to give the tracks motion. Others hit hard like a heavy boom bap sound reminiscent of the 90's Hip Hop Production sound through grain, saturation and compression. 29 tracks of Hip Hop / Crate Digging Instrumentalism goodness for those in the game that are firmly embedded in the culture and art as well as those that are getting introduced to it with fresh eyes and ears.

With all that in mind and the fact that this one is some 29 tracks deep, I better get started…

The album kicks off with Makeshift Recording Setup, a mixture of drums, electronic sounds, bells and more which combine to give this almost cinematic Hip Hop vibe that immediately sets the tone of the album by getting your head nodding. The sound immediately flicks into the nerve shredding sound of Stack of Records and A Laptop. More head nod drums and that nerve shedding electronic sound grabs your awareness by the ears, almost stretching it to limits. There is no time to assimilate what you just heard before heavy pounding drums and more electronic sounds hammer your already fragile nerves on Create Sounds Heard in the Mind. The pounding drums do not let up as Changing the Ways Beatmakers View the Art hits with a sonic sound and some well-placed samples that begins to almost mess with your normal view of reality. Before you can even contemplate your view Hip Hop not as Hip Hop drops with a drum infused sound that is exactly what the title says, it’s Hip Hop made in a way that is almost not Hip Hop but, can that even really be a thing?

No Raps, No Hooks seemingly builds on that Hip Hop not Hip Hop vibe with its drums, keys and electronic sounds that merge into something that is almost akin to what Hip Hop would sound like if invented by Kraftwerk. Heavy drums, strings and horns merge next to create a sound that is more Familiar to the Hip Hop Enthusiast. Just as you were getting into that Hip Hop head nod sound, it completely changes with Song Careen and Crash, a mix of drums and brutal sonic sounds that, once more, attack your nerves, bringing a sound that is like a scratch DJ on speed (am I even allowed to say that…) cutting up random sounds. Just as you are contemplating what you just heard Starting and Stopping Without Warning hits you with another sound that fits no genre. Electronic and sampled sounds mix and merge together to create a sound with appears to have no cohesion but does at the same time. In fact, it almost gives a sound to how your brain works with anxiety, I say that as someone who has an anxiety disorder. Just as the mind will switch from one mood to another, the vibe switches into this Hip Hop drum infused heavy sound that is peppered with samples. More of a boom bap head nod sound this one is definitely open to Giving the Listener Opportunities.

Elements in Front of You once more flips the vibe into a sonic sound loop that seems to be waiting to go somewhere, gearing you up for a ride but, then leaves you waiting. Align Your Perspective is the ride you were seemingly waiting for as a plethora of sampled sounds get your head spinning. The looping vibe might appear to be going nowhere but, it carries you along, making you wonder what’s next? Flipping Crates on You has you questioning reality once more as sampled vocals, drums and other sounds scream into your ears, making you feel like your mind is being lifted from your existence and dropped down the rabbit hole. Drums and electronic vibes create this effect almost like you were Scanning Radio Stations to find just the right sound or, perhaps, this is what it sounds like to fall down the rabbit hole? Who knows…

The album pivots on the sound of Half Broken 45’s, which catapults you back into a solid Hip Hop sound of drums, bells and other percussion while bringing it to you with that scratchy sound drop of records that appear to be well past their best but, you can still bounce to this for sure.

Now past the pivot point we get into the second half of the album with Wax Buried in the Basement, a heavy banging sound with drums taking the forefront and some bells sneaking in to. It really puts in mind of sitting in a dusty basement finding unique sounds to create the next beat from. Having found those unique samples, the next thing to do is to get them Chopped, Pulled and Mutated into something new and that is what is happening here with sampled sounds forming the building blocks of something new. The sound begins to take shape with Indecipherable Aural Pastiche, as the drums, guitars, samples and more all coming together with a more boom bap sound. With things coming together Straight Up Music would appear to be just that but, the drums, keys, xylophone and other sounds all mix together into something that appears to be a musical juxtaposition. With that thought in mind Source Point appears to be taking us back to the foundation of another new sound. Electronic sounds and a drumbeat come together creating another template that might just be ready for some slick vocals to be added.

Technique Checked takes a Hip Hop beat and layers it with a looped electronic sonic vibe that cuts into your mind, removing wafer thin slices of your awareness and allowing them to float into the ether. The assault on your mind continues with Essential History which takes multi-layer drum sounds, firstly allowing them to play but, then mixing them up to pound relentlessly for a period, mashing your mind to a mush. Suddenly Hip Hop’s Spirit drops in to save you, with a classic vibe of drums and bongo beats with an electronic vibe that takes you right back to that electro sound. Time to get that head nodding once more. One of those foundations of the Hip Hop sound was the SP1200 and we continue that resurrection with the Hip Hop sound on Samples Crammed into the SP1200, which is just that and this is the resulting sound.

Discovering Music takes a drum beat and mixes it with some orchestral notes to produce this filtered soundtrack vibe that keeps the head nodding and raises the adrenaline a little too. From there, Fresh Joint keeps that orchestral undertone with a solid drumbeat, keeping you moving and grooving to the beat. Drums and a deep piano vibe form the basis of Seminal Props which has this darker edge to it, seemingly having you casting one eye over your shoulder every now and again. Dropping into the penultimate track, Addiction for the Heads, exposes us to flute note, drums and a wealth of electronic and sonic sounds that mix together to bring this rough almost jazzy vibe that seems to be gradually bringing us back to some semblance of reality. Pantheon of Hip Hop Art, takes us out of the album with more of that good SP1200 style sound giving us something fresh to move to as we begin to contemplate what we have heard across the last ninety minutes or so…

 

First off, I have to admit that was some ride, 29 tracks and more vibes than you can shake a stick at. But what was obvious here is that the first of these Future Crates was an exceptional trip into the creative mind of Chess Moves, as a producer. This might be a beat tape release but, for me at least, it shows not just the music that can be created by one person but, it also shows how all those different styles, vibes and pace can elicit different feelings and visions in the mind of the listener. This is something I always enjoy with instrumental music, you can listen to it and there is almost no limit as to what it can bring to mind, it just depends on the BPM and the overall sound that has been created. It will also create different things for each of us.

But don’t let me digress here, Future Crates is a solid display of the creative ability of Chess Moves. The different sounds and influences here are many but, the foundation of the real Hip Hop sound does shine through, throughout the course of the album. It is the kind of album that other producers and artist love, because it shows that this is a beat maker/producer who can drop the goods across a wide variety of sounds, genres and moods. Whether he is dropping a beat to chop up or producing a beat ready for vocals, there is so much Chess Moves has to offer and Future Crates is destined to become just that, a crate diggers dream but, in a digital sense I guess.

I kept my words on these tracks shorter than normal, due to just how many tracks there were to get through. But, just as the music creates visions in the mind it also helps words to flow and some of the words are more than others showing just how that works, sometimes you can say as much with fewer words as you can with many and it’s all down to the power of the words…

This is the first of two in the Future Crates series. So, grab and digest this one before the next one drops.

My thanks to Chess Moves for sending this one to me.

On that note, I need a rest,

See Ya,

Steve.  

LINKS

All the Chess Moves Links you need Here:

https://linktr.ee/ChessMoves

Chess Moves on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/chessmovesproducer/

 

 

EP Review: Live at the Guillotine '88 (Remixes)

 

Live at the Guillotine ’88 (Remixes)

By

Chess Moves Junior Disprol and DJ Mada

 

A little while ago I dropped a review for the release of the original single of Live at the Guillotine '88. If you remember back to that review, I described the single as something akin to Death Hop. It was a brutal single that didn’t just not take any prisoners and left the floor littered with heads of those who chose to listen.

So, what could you do to single of this nature in releasing a remix EP? Could you improve on it or even take it to new levels, was this indeed even possible? Well, let’s see…

The EP is made up of four straight remixes of the single. The first is the Executioner Mix, with it’s heavy drums and orchestral notes it almost places you in the role of the executioner. Seeing everything though the eyes of the one behind the blade, this mix puts you in a place where you have just been hung, drawn and now you’re being quartered…

If the feeling of being quartered was not enough, then the Slice of the Blade Mix takes the visceral nature one step further. The violent scratch and violin intro leads to a dark pounding beat that is boom bap Hip Hop. Its dark nature means that you feel every slice of every word and musical note as they cut into your awareness.

As you are reeling from what has just happened the scratch and bass intro opens you up to the Off With His Head Mix. The gritty and raw electronic vibe of this one builds across the length of the track, constantly bringing you focus to the sharp blade that is poised above your neck. This one does not place your head on the chopping block facing away from the blade, oh no, here you just watch and wait till eventually the razor-sharp blade drops…

Finally, as you lay in pieces, a mournful intro leads you into the Gravedigger Mix. As the gravedigger awaits another burial the tone here is more somber with drums, cuts, and a mix of electronic sounds. It is still raw, mirroring the brutal nature of the journey of the body being laid. But soon the rawness and the brutality is just a memory as the spade cuts into the earth to cover the body…

Chess Moves has done a cracking job here of taking this brutal track and giving it four new vibes that are different but, are also linked. They are individual but, also parts of a larger story. The overall vibe here leans far more towards Hip Hop than the original but, having said that, it loses none of its brutal nature and, you could even say, it is now more horrorcore.

These four remixes are raw and unapologetically slice away at your nerves. The distorted nature of Junior Disprol’s vocals claw at your ears and rip into your mind. Together these four tracks reach into your very soul like you are the victim of Pinhead from Hellraiser. There is no where to hide, no place to seek solace for once you open yourself to this EP, you are on you way to a new experience of experimental Hip Hop Horror.

Another aspect to note is the way DJ Mada has totally flipped the cuts on these remixes. On the original the cuts were ferocious and cut through your mind like a chainsaw fuelled by Nitrous. Here he has cut back on the ferocity and taken a more dextrous, even clinical approach.

On a lighter note, once you have given this a listen and dragged yourself back from near oblivion, Chess Moves is now making his boom bap beats available to rappers and DJ’s. If your interested, then check out the link below.

After that little lot, I’m off to get exorcised…

Peace out,

Steve

LINKS

More streaming links etc will be available soon

Check the remixes on Spotify Here:

https://open.spotify.com/album/62ct6pAmNALFb0zTXaomGx?si=RXeKLveaSAW1Xb8H_5S4RA&dl_branch=1&nd=1

Check Here for those Chess Moves beats for your next Project:

https://www.beatstars.com/chessmoves/feed

Single Review: Readily Equipped by DDubble Impactt & Chess Moves

 

Readily Equipped

By

DDubble Impactt & Chess Moves

 

The last time we heard from Chess Moves was back at the end of April this year when he dropped the brutal single ‘Live at the Guillotine 88’ featuring Junior Disprol and Dj Mada. Now he is back with a new single, Readily Equipped, which sees him joined by the duo of DDubble Impactt on vocal duties.

Readily Equipped hits heavy pounding your ears and conscious awareness with a mix of drums and big orchestral strings. Musically the single is far more classic boombap Hip Hop but, still with that experimental element that keeps it sounding fresh. There is also a rawness and an unconscious cerebral vibe that keeps you wanting to listen again cos you were ‘not sure you heard it right the first time…’

DDubble Impactt’s vocals reach into your mind, skilfully infiltrating through your neural pathways with similes and metaphors whilst switching between styles and pace to grab your attention and focus. The message here seems to be simple and looks at the fact that there are so many situations that you will encounter in your life and for each of those situations it is best to enter into them fully prepared. Every time you approach a situation unprepared then you are risking failure. So, do your prep, your research and ensure that you are Readily Equipped…

By having that experimental element to his production Chess Moves always gives you something to ponder, something that needs time to assimilate so that you can fully hear and feel the content. His choice of vocalists is always on point for the project he delivers and that is demonstrated here with the guys of DDubble Impactt fitting exactly with the tone of the track and delivering vocals that impact with power and a deep conscious understanding of life and the current social situations around them.

This one is out today so, ask yourself, are you Readily Equipped for this...

Peace Out,

Steve

LINKS

Check this for all the Chess Moves Links:

https://linktr.ee/ChessMoves

DDubble Impactt on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/ddubbleimpactt/

DDubble Impactt on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6XKcNqzWM38bIJNkfLCLLs?si=qNO17ETfTIWPmf-F-bauKQ&utm_source=copy-link&dl_branch=1&nd=1