Album Review: Lost In The Loophole by Frisco Boogie

 

Lost In The Loophole

By

Frisco Boogie

Its great to have Nottingham emcee Frisco Boogie back on the blog. I last featured him back in October last year with 50 From The Cradle and since them things have definitely been moving forward for him. This year he signed to Montener The Menace’s Hidden Hobby Records and his first release for the label is this nine track album, Lost In The Loophole.

As always Frisco Boogie does almost everything himself on this one, from writing and production up to arranging and, obviously, performing. He even designed the artwork too; you can’t get much more multitalented than that! The only thing he does not do is mixing and mastering, which is handled here by Mark Gamble. There are also features from DJ Glibstylez and the Local Healers to spice things up a little.

So, join me as I get Lost In The Loophole with Frisco Boogie…

 

Our journey into the loophole begins with Frisco Boogie’s most recent single release Lost. This one is really the album’s title track and has a heavy drum beat that is backed by this nerve tingling piano loop that brings your focus directly into the music and the lyrics. As you nod your head to the beat you can easily get lost in the music, which is really the whole message here. We live in a society where getting lost in anything is a challenge as we are often connected to the world in some way, shape and form but, music is something you can truly get lost in, no matter your tastes. As we get further into the loophole, you realise that things will come back around, the Same ol’ Same. The beat here keeps the heavy head nod beat but, the keys and electronic vibes bring a lighter vibe. Frisco Boogie tells it as it is, which is the fact that life is a loophole. We go through life, day to day, experiencing the same things, in the same places, going round in circles. Even holidays are only a short respite from the same ol’ same ol’. Piano notes draw you into Silence, a nerve-jangling mix of piano, drums and flute that has you questioning what’s going on. Featuring DJ Glibstyles on the cut, here we find Frisco Boogie detailing the value of those moments of silence; these moments can be the most valuable thing for us as choosing what you feel inside over a snap decision of reaction, can be the one thing that changes the outcome of where things will lead you and those around you, it can be the difference between a positive or a negative outcome. Just think about it, shutting up might be the best thing you ever did…

The Local Healers feature on the next track, March which has an infectious sound of another head nod beat, alongside hand drums and more that give this the kind od vibe you can drift away to. There is powerful message behind this one too, it is a celebration of the women in your life and the strength of their feminine energy. We will all have a special woman in our lives who bring a strength and power that guides and lifts us up. For some, it is just their mother, and for others it could also be your wife, friends and more. For me there is also a deeper message here, you can go beyond the respect and love for those women and find the strength of your own feminine energy, just because you are a man does not mean that you do not have that energy within; let the women in your lives help you to find it and all it brings. With such a powerful message still raw in your mind, a heavy beat kicks in and the drums, keys, guitars and vocal samples, bring an uplifting sound that still keeps you moving with Karma. This is a short little track that looks at the outcomes of our choices when those choices are made with less than positive intentions. In fact, karma comes with all the choices we make, it is just our intentions that decide how the karma affects us. Violin notes bring in No Answer, with xylophone, guitars and a solid drum beat, the vibe is one with a reflective edge. This one looks at all those times we sit and question what’s going on around us, our mind swimming in a see of questions but, try as we might, there seems to be to answers forthcoming from inside, even as we look externally for something that will help form those answers, nothing comes and those questions continue to float around, deep in our mind awaiting the time when an answer may be forthcoming. There is a short jazzy skit at the end of the track that is different to the vibe of the track and it kind of jumps out and surprises you, just like an old question arising or the sudden answer to an old question finally falling into place…

Field Of Crows hits with a pounding drum beat and sampled vocal sounds that give this one a questioning vibe, following on quite nicely from the last track. Frisco Boogie muses over questions of what it would be like to see through the eyes of a crow or even to be a crow. These are questions that scientific study of these birds is only beginning to give us insights to. Crows exhibit many of the traits that we humans do so, perhaps we are not that different? Maybe it would be a good thing to be able to experience how animals and birds see humans and how we treat them, as it might teach us a thing or two and help us treat them and each other in a better way? With those interesting thoughts in our heads, we move into the penultimate track of the album Turmoil In The Trenches. Horns, bass and keys compliment the beat, bringing with it a contemplative vibe. We find Frisco Boogie sat on a park bench, taking time out to watch as the loophole continues around him. Here he watches as life passes by and sees the turmoil that exists in the flow of the moment; a place where we all live, side-by-side but, not passing like ships in the night but, with a tension between us that brings with it a sense of not knowing what’s coming, either from other person directly but, also from outside, indirectly, with so much turmoil around us, sometimes you just have to sit on that park bench and take some time, just for you. The final track of the album is also the first single that was released, One Question. Eerie keys bring us into this one with some vocals that pose the one question we all come back to at some time in our lives; as the beat kicks in Frisco Boogie opens up in depth about not just that one question but, all the things that bring you to that moment, that question, go back over all those moments that brought you here to this single most important question and ask yourself, if you could relive one moment that would express everything about you before this point, where would you take yourself…

 

After listening to this album, you kind of find yourself thinking about things, questioning if you are really living in a loophole, and if you are is there really going to be a moment in which you come back to the beginning once more or will you reach a moment in which the loophole appears to end with one final question? In fact, is this life, this loophole just an on-going series of questions, some with answers and some without? Perhaps that is the purpose of this album and it’s a very ingenious concept, to leave the listener with more questions. It is also a very healthy energy, the more we keep our mind active the healthier it remains and if we have to question everything; then perhaps that what we do?

I love music and I do enjoy that listening to music allows you to get lost anywhere you want, there are no borders when it comes to getting lost in music, and more than that, I love it when the music I listen to gives me something to get my mind buzzing with thoughts and questions because that allows me to become creative with my words and Lost In The Loophole is one of those albums that does that, leaving you questioning everything long after the last beat and the last word have passed by.

I mean, even if you set aside how this album may affect you, you are left with an enjoyable album that has Hip Hop music at its core. Every beat is for those that enjoy the head nod style boom bap sound and will keep you moving from top to bottom, even if you chose not to immerse yourself in the deeper meaning of the tracks. You will also find that Frisco Boogie has an adept way of using his wordplay and insightful lyrics to good effect across the entire album. The appearances by DJ Glibstylez and Local Healers add the icing to the cake or the jam in the sponge, if you will, giving the album an extra dose of flavour that works so well but, first and foremost this is crafted by Frisco Boogie who knows exactly what he wants and expertly crafts it from words and music.

Overall, however you chose to listen to the album and whether you chose to immerse yourself in it or not, just enjoy it. This is a superb album for Frisco Boogie to bring as his debut on Hidden Hobby Records and shows why he is such a great signing for the label. Lost In The Loophole is most definitely one not to sleep on, in my humble opinion.

Lost In The Loophole is out now.

I’ll see ya next time, maybe with more questions, maybe not…

Steve.

LINKS

Get Lost in the Loophole on Bandcamp Here:

https://hiddenhobbyrecords.bandcamp.com/album/lost-in-the-loophole

https://friscoboogie.bandcamp.com/album/lost-in-the-loophole

Stream on Spotify Here:

https://open.spotify.com/album/

Hidden Hobby Records Socials:

https://www.instagram.com/hidden_hobby_records/

Frisco Boogie Socials:

https://www.instagram.com/friscoboogie/

https://www.facebook.com/friscoboogie

https://www.youtube.com/@friscoboogie11

Lost in the Loophole YouTube Playlist:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kSsFaF5Ub8RghpXjWffJ89EytLt7EGA-w

VIDEOS

LOST

Silence ft DJ Glibstylez

Turmoil in the Trenches

Album Review: The Miserable Git Next Door by Montener The Menace

 

The Miserable Git Next Door

By

Montener The Menace

Back in May of 2021 I published my review for Anyone Home? The awesome follow up to the debut I Have A Hidden Hobby from Montener The Menace. At that time, it was suggested that Anyone Home? could well be Montener’s final album but, here we are, some nineteen months later and the man from Croyden is back and we are about to be treated to his next album, The Miserable Git Next Door.

The album is released on Montener’s own Hidden Hobby Records and, as with his previous albums, it see’s a plethora of producers and guest artists joining him. I have reviewed both I Have A Hidden Hobby and Anyone Home? both of which have been instant underground Hip Hop classics. Can we expect something similar from what even Montener himself suggests is his best work…?

Well, let’s see shall we. Join me as I breakdown The Miserable Git Next Door…

Montener doesn’t mess around as he instantly takes us to meet The Miserable Git Next Door. The albums title track is produced by Jack Cliff, who brings together strings, organ notes and drums to give us this easy-going vibe that just seems to carry us along, letting us focus on the lyrics. Here Montener spins a tale that seems to hover between unsettling and comedic. He is that miserable git next door who wants to be left alone. When new neighbours move in things go downhill rapidly, ending with an all-out war between the two households but, you are left wondering who was truly at fault, the neighbours, or that miserable git next door. With those thought’s still rattling around your head, that train of thought is broken by the faint whistling of a spaghetti western, before the beats drops with drums, bass, vocal samples, and slick cuts, produced by g-man, the vibe is a deep melodic head nod sound. A perfect backdrop for Montener to be joined by A-F-R-O and Skyzoo for Tomorrow’s Never Promised. There is a profound message here for all three emcees and its pretty simple, live, love and laugh for the day, this moment that you are living right now because there is no guarantee that you’ll see another sunrise so, live every day like it’s your last. It’s a sobering thought for sure but, one that’s delivered here by three emcees who know how to make their lyrics hit home. now your mind is deep in contemplation, your mind is open and Montener only has to utter one word grab your attention, that word is Gunslinger. Guitar and whistling herald the return of the Gunslinger (High Noon Pt. 2), the beat hits with tinges of bass (produced by Da Vigilante) as we are treated to what happened to the Gunslinger in the aftermath of Anyone Home’s, High Noon. Our anti-hero is now out on his own, with his mind on a new life he heads for one last score before settling down but, that story is for another day…

Sliding Doors Pt. 1 is up next and Red Master’s production gives us a reflective vibe with strings and drums providing the musical backdrop. Montener The Menace is in full story telling mode here as he details the story of an inner-city youth from a broken home who gets caught up in the gang culture. By the time the track fades out we are left wondering what will happen to Audley in part 2. With two stories leaving us hanging in the balance our minds are left with a tinge of anxious anticipation and JL Beats production on Decisions tugs at out frayed nerves with some high-pitched jazzy piano alongside drums that seek to pound those split nerve endings. The Legendary UK emcee Skinnyman, Reks and Guilty Simpson join Montener on the track that speaks on all the decisions we make in life. These decisions can take us down a great many roads, some lead to positive outcomes and others to more negative ones. How life plays out hinges on those decisions, there are no right, or wrong answers here just paths we walk based on what life puts before us, so remember, chose wisely. Drums and jazzy piano vibes once more form the basis for Hate To Love, where Barry Manalog gives us a more upbeat feel to proceedings. Here Montener takes us on an often-lighthearted journey through the Yin and Yang of what it is to experience Love and Hate as we walk through life and it is so true what he says in that those experiences that bring us Love, give us so much while anything that brings hate takes so much from us. The key thing here is to eclipse the hate with love, that will make life sure a positive experience.

Moving in to the second half of the album, we find Montener The Menace keeping our mind spinning like those old energy meters or a 78 rpm record. Jack Cliff brings us a mariachi style vibe of horns, drums, and guitars for Teachered Artist which finds Montener schooling us to the pitfalls of working as a teacher. There is plenty to make you grin as Montener warns against making teaching a career. To polish things off here there is a nice sprinkling of cuts from Jabbathakut. Strings, piano and drums, from Domingo,  merge to create a deep vibe that has that contrasting, Juxtaposition feel with the sounds of marching and cuts that also pervade the track. Verbz joins Montener The Menace here as they combine to drop a story that shows that its not always what you do in a moment but, how you look or conduct yourself is what can get you into trouble with the law. So, many times the those who are guilty of a crime are overlooked in favour of those who just dress a certain way or act a certain way but, may never have actually done anything wrong, this is just antagonistic and serves to create a situation that is negative, where it never needed to be. With our minds racing, from the injustice we just heard, strings fade in and ease our outrage. Guitar and drums drop, and Covert Pawns production gets our heads nodding. Montener becomes the Movie Decade Crusader as he takes us on journey through the movies he has enjoyed growing up. He expertly weaves the very best of the 80’s and 90’s movies into this one. It’s like a trip down memory lane for some of us older heads.

Moving into the final quarter of the album the one Keith Murrey provides the intro and production from Roccwell brings us this heavy sound of bass, drums, and horns that really makes you wanna stand up and jump around. This one is all about Montener The Menace using his wordplay skills to do two things, which is to entertain us while doing what he does best, Running My Mouth. With our energy levels pushing into the red, a soulful intro allows us a short breather before the Jack Cliff beats drops with horns, guitar and pounding drums. We are nodding our heads once more as a posse style cut drops which see’s an incredible line-up of some of cream of emcees join Montener. BVA, Sean Peng, Phoenix Da Icefire, Ramson Badbonez, Tesla’s Ghost, Genesis Elijah, Frisco Boogie, Cracker Jon, Mick Swagger, boodah, Cosm, Slippy Skills, Blade and Joe Publik all drop bars that are all About Love and the impact it has in live. It’s all about what you love doing, what brings you love or perhaps a lack of love and even whether you can see love around you or not. With a penultimate track like that how do you finish things off? Simple, you get Mighty Mindless Cartoons to drop a heavy pounding beat of drums, cymbals, and horns for a quick little Outro of the chorus from The Miserable Git Next Door, nothing else is needed, end of…

 

So, let’s get one thing straight, The Miserable Git Next Door is one hell of a ride from start to finish. Montener The Menace has, once again, tabled another album that is a potential classic. He shows that he matures from one album to the next and displays wordplay skills that show no sigh of letting up, the more he produces. He is just as comfortable on track with guest artists, as he is on his solo tracks. Mixing up the subject matter with tracks that are based in reality and personal experience to those that are just for fun and displaying the depth of his vocal skills and flows.

Bringing in a wealth of producers adds such a depth of musical backdrops allowing Montener and the guest artists to fully display their skills whilst fully complimenting each other. The production here is second to none really and helps keep the album flowing while systematically allowing you to focus on the vocals with ease. I can’t speak on the production without mentioning that all the cuts on the album are performed by the legendary UK turntablist Jabbathakut, who’s skills really do serve to dot all the I’s in the Hip Hop masterclass.

The guest artists that feature on the album range from up-and-coming status right up to legendary status and span both sides of the pond. The quality of all those artists really speak for themselves and need nothing further except that they add the icing to this perfectly cooked up Hip Hop cake.

All in all, what I see here is a UK emcee who always delivers quality and who has the respect of his peers the world over. Let’s face it here, it’s not everyone who can tempt Blade to drop a feature, you gotta have a special quality to do that and also good to see another legendary UK emcee in Skinnyman feature here also. The consistent quality that Montener The Menace delivers is a credit to himself and the UK scene and I for one look forward to possibility of him dropping more down the line. I mean, he can’t leave us hanging on the escapades of the Gunslinger or the outcome of Sliding Doors.

Everyone knows I don’t like giving my reviews a score. For me I want my words and the music to do all the talking, and The Miserable Git Next Door is no exception. But, if I really had to score this one, I could not give it any less than a 9, maybe even a 9.2 HA HA, because I love the drive, the vocals, the quality and the work ethic of Montener as an emcee and when you mix that with top quality production, Jabbathakut and some top-notch features then how can you score it any less.

Montener The Menace is constantly pushing himself to always be another rung closer to perfection with every release. He is all about quality over quantity, pushing the boundaries of his creativity to always deliver what people want to hear.

The Miserable Git Next Door is out today on digital and limited CD versions. I highly recommend that you grab one of the limited CD copies which gives you two bonus tracks, the High Noon Jabbathakut remix and Sliding Doors Pt. 2, giving you the chance to find out what happens to Audley.

Huge thanks to the man himself, Montener The Menace, for putting this my way.

On That Note,

I’m outta here,

Steve

LINKS

Get The Miserable Git Next Door from Bandcamp Here:

https://hiddenhobbyrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-miserable-git-next-door

Hidden Hobby Records on Bandcamp:

https://hiddenhobbyrecords.bandcamp.com/

VIDEOS

About Love Official Video (on 05:21 Official YouTube)

 

 

 

 

Single Review: Hot n Hupid by boodah

 

Hot n Hupid

By

boodah

Hot n Hupid is the first solo release from boodah and the first release from Hidden Hobby Records. boodah is the brother of the brains behind Hidden Hobby Records, one Montener The Menace, who you may know…

Boodah describes himself as an ‘ancient and reluctant emcee’ who did some demos and such like with a few talented people back in the day but, never got round to putting anything out. It was only at the insistence of brother Montener that he actually put something out and so he appeared on Montener’s recent solo albums and also made an appearance on the track Shut Up! From the recent album C.I.R.C.U.S by Frisco Boogie, you can reviews of all these on the Blog.

Hot n Hupid is the first release from an upcoming controversial project titled the WESTWOODWORLD EP. You can probably guess from the title of the EP that the focus is on former Radio One DJ Tim Westwood, who has been the recent focus of sexual assault allegations. To be honest it can be said that Westwood is one of those you either love or hate. He was a huge figure in the early days of UK Hip Hop, supporting and helping grow the careers of many of the UK scenes defining artists. However, in more recent years he moved in the grime scene and has made comments that have upset many in the UK scene. So, it is not surprising that tracks are beginning to emerge that are hitting out using the infamous Hip Hop Diss track vibe.

Boodah began writing a Diss track back in the late 90’s but, never got completed. It was in light of the recent news coverage about Westwood that boodah says:

"our Timmy hit the mainstream headlines recently for some of the stuff I’ve been writing about. Therefore, I thought I’d just shamelessly leak the already recorded track now to capitalise on the news cycle. I must admit that the impact of the WESTWOODWORLD EP has already been partly lost, Half the joke was supposed to be that someone is not only going to the lengths of making a diss track, but a full EP on a topic/person that has been irrelevant for over a decade. Yet I feel compelled to complete this, as much of Westwoods’s corruption and negative influence on British hip-hop is yet to be documented. It’s quite telling what the BBC decided to leave out of their documentary. I actually like the BBC in general, but boy do they have some blood on their hands”.

 

It is obvious that boodah has been following the career of Westwood for some time and has some strong opinions on him, as a person, and what he has done with has career. So, let me tack you into the track and see what boodah has to say…

Hot n Hupid begins with part of an interview with Westwood in which he makes the comment ‘Hot n Hupid’. The track is produced by JL Beats and when the beat drops it’s a solid mix of pounding drums backed by organ notes and bass notes, that gives you this slow head nod vibe. Boodah opens up on Westwood big time here showing there is no love lost and this is not just because of his mispronunciation of ‘hot n hupid’ not hot and humid. Boodah is not shy about speaking on the sexual assault allegations, spiked drinks and questionable DJ skills. It might seem a little tongue-in-cheek but, the allegations are very real as is boodah’s dislike of Westwood. He also displays solid wordplay skills, lyrical flows and, in this instance, a comedic vibe that almost verges on cynicism as he vocalises his feelings.

If, for one second, you remove the subject matter of the track, this is a solid Hip Hop Diss track with a nice boom bap beat that you can really vibe to. There was once a time when diss tracks were a staple of hip hop music and, although they have become less apparent in recent years, it seems that with everything going on, we were gonna see more of these as time went on.

Now, I am not here to give an opinion on Tim Westwood or the allegations, I’m just here to tell you my thoughts on this track. One thing is for sure, is that many in the UK Hip Hop community have been split on the subject of Westwood for many years and regardless of which camp your in or which side of the fence you sit on, this track and the upcoming EP is going to open the flood gates on comments from both sides. But, one thing is for certain, should the allegations be proven, and it is shown that Tim Westwood did indeed abuse his position, then he does deserve to have the full weight of the law descend on him. Personally, I don’t know enough to comment on the situation, and I have not yet seen the BBC documentary in question, however, I do know from personal experience of some close to me of what this type of abuse can do and it does not sit well with me.

So, my advice is for you to check the track out and make your own mind’s up and keep watch for a number of upcoming projects from boodah, who is sure to make some wave within the UK Hip Hop community through 2022 and beyond.

On that note,

I’m out,

Steve

LINKS

boodah on Bandcamp here:

https://boodah1.bandcamp.com/releases

boodah on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mr_boodah/

VIDEO