Banff Avenue
By
Dragon Fli
Empire
Way back in 1991, my Twenty First year on this planet, I
went on holiday to meet family in Canada. During that trip we visited Banff,
Alberta, A stunningly beautiful part of Canada. I had no idea back then that nearly
32 years later I would be reviewing an EP based around that place. However, the
latest release from AE Productions is a reissue of Dragon Fli Empire’s 2020
release, Banff Avenue.
This will be the first time that Banff Avenue has
been released on vinyl and it is a joint venture between AE and Make Believe
Records (DFE’s own label) and has been remastered especially for the vinyl
release by Rola at Khameleon Studios, Bristol, UK. Previously only available
via download or CD, the collaboration was born during the release of MR
Fantastic’s 2021 single Breakdown, which featured TeeKay on vocals. As the head
of AE Productions, Mr Fantastic felt that Banff Avenue deserved a vinyl
release and Dragon Fli Empire (Teekay and DJ Cosm) agreed. Fast forward to now
and allowing for all the pressing delays due to the pandemic, Banff Avenue
is now available as a full vinyl release. Those familiar with the original
release will note that the vinyl release has a different running order to the
original release, and this was done in order to give the vinyl a better balance
of cut quality and volume.
With all that in mind, please join me as we take a trip down
Banff Avenue…
We are not on the road long before we enter Banff Ave,
with its laid-back drums, tambourine, and chilled cuts. We gaze lazily out the
window as the stunning scenery glides by and Teekay steps up as our tour guide,
providing a verbal description of everything we need to take note of on our
trip, from the Canadian Rockies to sights and sounds of the town of Banff, he
expertly creates an audible vision for us, even with our eyes closed we can
still see everything as his words float through our awareness. Keeping it
chilled the sound shifts slightly to chilled jazzy mix of drums, bass, and
organ notes as we slide into Overtime. With the sun going down Teekay regales
us with stories from DFE’s past and getting to where they are now. He keeps us
hanging on his every word, having us picturing everything in our mind’s eye
while, with every pause, we are treated to DJ Cosm brining our awareness back
to the present, cutting it up on the 1’s and 2’s. Just as we are considering
turning in for the night Teekay and DJ Cosm turn it up and get our adrenaline
flowing with an upbeat banger with pounding drums, bass, and a plethora of
cuts. On My Way has us up on our feet as DFE rocks the crowd in true Hip
Hop fashion with slick flows, deft wordplay, and cuts galore. We get schooled
on the where DFE are from, some of their inspirations and where they are at now
is right here turning the party out. The focus shifts once more as we approach
the end of our first day, or side a if you will. A beatbox and drum fuelled
intro brings us into Talkin at Movies, bass and guitar vibes join the
beat as Teekay takes a tongue-in-cheek look at those people who choose the talk
all the way through, when you’re trying to sit and watch a good movie. This one
brings a grin to your face not just because we’ve all been in this situation
but, also because that beatbox brings to mind the late great Biz Markie
(R.I.P), and if you’re bringing that real Hip Hop sound, you gotta have the
beatbox too. With day one over it’s time for a brief pause as we flip to day
two…
The needle descends and the sun rises on day two with the
DFE and we are greated by a funky vibe created by chilled drums, bass, and
keys, with a dash of cuts and a sprinkling of horns to cap it all off. As the
beat gets you moving, our first stop is the Vortex as Teekay guides us
expertly into parallel universes with his slick, intelligent, mystic wordplay.
All of us having our own individual experiences, leaves us wondering just where
we are going next, even questioning if this is still Canada or not but, we are
not questioning the current state of reality for long before xylophone notes
have us back in Banff just as the bass and drum beat kicks in and we are
suddenly Looking For Tomorrow. The jazzy vibe has us nodding our heads
as Teekay takes us deeper into the vision and sound of DFE. This one really
makes you think about where you are, where you’ve been and understanding that
to get where you’re going you need to have a vision for tomorrow, something
that you can literally reach out and grab, constantly pulling you forward. Before
you know it, we are here at the final track, the end of our journey with DFE.
Piano notes, horns and drums give us this after-hours jazz sound, creating this
chilled vibe as DFE asks us, How Ya Doin. This is like a check in
between us and them, just making sure we are all doing well after our time
together on Banff Avenue but, it is also a reminder to check in on those
around you, just to see how they are doing, something as simple as this can go
a long way, trust me. As we leave Banff Avenue, we know that this is nor
like any other trip because we can just put the vinyl on anytime and go back…
It's always a pleasure to listen to something that allows to
use your imagination to slip away out of your reality and into a different
space and time, and Banff Avenue is one of those listening moments that
does that so perfectly. On one hand you know that this is, pure and simple,
real Hip Hop but, then DFE have also crafted this EP that flows so well and is
such a pleasure to listen to and expertly allows you to create this mental
picture of this journey to Banff area of the Canadian Rockies. OK, so I have
been to Banff but, that was a long time ago but, this EP does stir up the
memories of the rugged mountain peaks, conifer forests that flank the town. A
place where you step from the hustle and bustle of the streets into the calm of
the surrounding countryside.
Now I have not heard the original version of Banff Avenue
yet but, I do like how this version flows. It does create this feeling like
you are on an audible trip with DFE. It has this feel that you travel into the
town and arrive through Banff Ave and Overtime, then there is
this upbeat peak across On My Way and Talkin At The Movies and
then journey continues through Vortex and Looking For Tomorrow
before being rounded of with How Ya Doin. The progression seemed so
obvious that it created this whole feeling of a journey that it had me creating
this vibe as I wrote. The sound of the tracks really does carry you so well,
it’s like a breath of fresh air and all credit to DJ Cosm for his production
which is so on point here. Teekay also does an excellent job with his
descriptive lyricism that has you visualising what he describes at every step.
Not just that but, he switches so well in his flows and styles it is just a
perfect display of everything I love about rap within Hip Hop music.
I have to be honest here and wonder how I missed this the first-time
round, it’s a mystery to me but, I’m so please to have caught this now because
it is such a pleasure to listen to and one a wholeheartedly recommend that you
listen to.
My humble thanks to Mr Fantastic for sending this one my
way.
Banff Avenue is available now on vinyl from AE Productions.
CD and Digital is still available from the DFE Bandcamp Page.
On that note,
It’s time for me to go back to Banff,
See ya next time.
Steve.
LINKS
Grab the vinyl from AE Productions Here:
https://www.ae-productions.co.uk/product-page/dragon-fli-empire-banff-avenue-ep
Get the original 2020 release from DFE on Bandcamp Here:
https://makebelievehiphop.bandcamp.com/album/banff-avenue
Additional DFE Links Here:
https://linktr.ee/dragonfliempire
DFE on Instagram Here:
https://www.instagram.com/dragonfliempire/
VIDEOS
Banff Avenue
