EP Review: The Future Introspective EP by MNEA

 

The Future Introspective EP

By

MNEA

 

It was back in July 2023 that I reviewed the debut, and now sold out release ‘End Of Your Era’ by Collective MNEA. Now they are back with the hugely anticipated The Future Introspective EP which keeps the core of the label artists from Live From The Groove but, adds in new features along the way.

The Future Introspective EP sees Dweller on production, mixing and mastering duties. The artwork and design come from Tuff Draft Design alongside artwork concepts by Ethr82. With such a wealth of artists involved in this one, I’ll give you as much information as I can in the review. So, sit back, keep your mind open and join me as I take you through The Future Introspective EP.

As the initial release for the EP is on limited edition vinyl, with streaming coming only once the vinyl is gone, I’m going to refer to side A and B as I go along. The EP kicks off on the A-Side with Look Forward which features King Kashmere, Enlxsh and Dweller, with cuts coming from DJ Cuban Jon and DJ Simon C. The beat is heavy getting your head nodding as soon as it drops; under this beat is an almost eerie sound from keys that grabs your attention enough to keep you focused on the lyrics, while the cuts slice through your awareness with laser like precision. This one looks toward a possible dystopian future for the human race, where we have these dreamscapes put forward by the emcees, each one giving us a bleak look at what’s to come in a future that might be a lot closer that we truly realise. With those bleak thoughts still so raw in our minds, it’s time to Free My Mind with Jess Edie on vocals. The sound eases the anxiety of a bleak future with a vibe that takes you back to the days of Bristol’s Massive Attack or, more recently, the neo-soul of O.Love. Jess brings us a stunning vocal sound that calms the most stressed nerves as she opens up on what she will do to free her mind from all the struggles and strains of life. Now suitably chilled out, its time to join Dweller, Enoch and DJ Simon C for the Rapture. Organ notes and horns mix with an up-tempo drum beat that gets you bouncing once more. This one kind of mixes the definitions of the word rapture in to one track as it brings you that sense of euphoria, teasing you with aspects of looking back at what has  gone before and then looking forward to the start of a new journey; in a way that is uplifting and bringing optimism to the forefront. Side-A is rounded off with Hurt, featuring Laura Vane, this one combines bass and piano as the main elements that give this one a deeply soulful vibe but, with a funky edge. Laura brings this powerfully soulful voice that captures every part of your being as she brings forth the fact that no one can get away from the fact that there are aspects of life that with hurt us. We can do our best to avoid and ignore what’s happening around us but, sooner or later we have to face that facts and it will hurt…

 

With Side-A ending on such an emotive note, it gets you wondering as what Side-B is going to bring. You don’t have wait long as Life’s Many Questions brings a feature from Scrabble and sound that this jazzy funk vibe to it with this mix of drums, keys, guitars and more. Scrabble goes off on this one juxtaposing everything you think might be the answer and whisking your thoughts into a whirlwind, all in the space of a single verse. Still leaving with no real answer to life’s many questions. Next up we find MNEA reworking the track Loose Tongues by indie funk band The Stash Collective. This one features SimpleSamples and Kansul with cuts from DJ Simon C. The sound is heavy with a pounding bassline that gives this one a head banger vibe that will likely have you punching the air. The title of this one describes the track perfectly as its all about letting their tongues loose and spitting forth the kind of bars that have you buzzing from top to bottom. The midpoint of the B-Side brings you The Most Wonderous Part Of Your Life as Conbel Evrence, on co-production, helps bring you this chilled out interlude of laid-back beat and organ notes that takes you to the point of being so relaxed you just want to float off to this one for the rest of the day but, this is MNEA and you know that is not about to happen. The penultimate track of the EP is the Free Your Mind (Extended Mix) which features guest appearances from enlxsh and UK DMC finalist 2024 DJ Rasp alongside Jess Edie. That same neo-soul vibe is here once more, only this time you get a lot more of it and you really feel how that deep bass vibrates your entire body. Enlxsh adds this deep verse that mirrors the sentiments of Jess and is all about looking deep inside to unlock what will truly set you free. DJ Rasp brings the kind of cuts that take your breath away, adding another element to superb extended version. The final track on the EP is the Hurt (Algo Remix). Here we find that Laura Vane’s stunningly powerful vocals and message remain the same, but the huge change here is the DnB sound of the remix. This one turns the tempo up a few notches, which you might think would change the vibe of this one far too much but, the increase in tempo is just enough to keep the message working while taking the track to the kind of level that could well make it a huge club banger. While DnB is not my cup of tea normally, this one actually sounds quite good and does work very well.

 

Now, I’ve kept the descriptions relatively short here but, there is a lot more that you could say about these tracks but, sometimes it’s just not needed. MNEA and Live From The Groove have done a cracking job of dropping an EP that, firstly, is as long as some albums can be these days; secondly, they have experimented with a host of different vibes and sounds that take you on a true audible rollercoaster ride. What this shows is that MNEA are not just your normal run of the mill Hip Hop collective, but they are here to bring good music from whatever genre fits the bill. So, the foundations of the sound might be in Hip Hop but, what you do get from this one is that MNEA are a collective that truly want to stretch the boundaries of their musical influences and by doing that they are going to open the listener up to a sound that you can never anticipate one hundred percent. That is especially apparent when you consider that outside of the core label artists, you will never know who might feature and the vibe they could bring.

It is actually very hard to sit here and know exactly what more I can say about this EP. It is one of those things that kind of speaks for itself and you are just going to have to listen yourself to know what feelings it is going to elicit within you.

Every feature on The Future Introspective EP brings their own energy and a diverse range of styles, flows and vocal dexterity. From Rap vocals to Soulful sounds, this one has something for everyone to enjoy and I have to say that I enjoyed every minute of it.

With all that talk of new paths to follow and new beginnings on The Future Introspection EP, has made me feel I’ve said enough here and so it’s over to you give it a listen and see how it speaks to you.

This one is out soon on a limited run of 100 vinyl copies. One randomly selected pre-order customer will also win a USB stick with the entire back catalog from Live From The Groove and some exclusives too. There will also be CD, Cassettes and a couple of concept canvases available too that are hand painted by Ethr82.

Digital release will follow once the vinyl is sold out. So, don’t sleep on this one.

My humble thanks to Dweller and all at Live From The Groove for giving me the chance to drop this exclusive look at the EP.

 

Enjoy and I’ll see you next time.

Steve

LINKS

Live From The Groove Website and Bandcamp:

https://www.livefromthegroove.com/

https://livefromthegroove.bandcamp.com/

Live From The Groove Socials:

https://www.facebook.com/livefromthegroove

https://www.instagram.com/livefromthegroove

https://www.youtube.com/livefromthegroove

  

 

 

Album Review: Future Life Progression by O.Love

 

Future Life Progression

By

O.Love

 

With such a wealth of good music being released in 2021, I was excited for the release of the album Future Life Progression from Bristol based and Multitalented artist O.Love (aka Asian Hawk).

I have previously reviewed a couple of the single releases from this album in Embellishment and Controversial. This introduced me to his brand of electronic neo-funk, neo-soul. This was a refreshing sound, and I was looking forward to listening to the album to see what else was instore.

So, lets get right into it…

The albums title track, FLP, is also its intro, with sparce and spaced-out tones providing the backdrop, it really invites you to listen with an open mind because every time you put this on it will bring a new and exciting experience. This is mind expanding, like an introduction to a musical meditative experience. Our first full length track is Controversial which features Matt Owen (Noah and the Whale) and Keno Decosta Medford (Sounds of Harlowe) providing guitars. This track reflects the driving force and desire to leave the DJ world behind and expand to newer, more exciting musical heights, with universal appeal. This is a spaced-out Neo-Funk/Neo-Soul track that has a vibe right out of hyperspace, deep space, or some previously undiscovered alternate reality. It has a funk fuelled beat over which floats that eclectic mix of guitar, synth and melodic vocals. Those vocals bring to your awareness all that is or could be termed controversial. By the end of the track, you are feeling like you have just been dipped into some awesome mix of Prince and Parliament/Funkadelic but, with vibe like it’s all been experienced through your third eye. Now we are floating around just outside of earth’s atmosphere the Galaxy Cruise Briefing provides us with some intergalactic electronic notes with vocals that make us ponder what is about to happen on our journey.

A Wonder of the Modern Age is a slightly more laid-back vibe with synths and piano notes. There are plenty of wonderous things in our modern age with technological advances and so on but, is there anything more wonderous that watching someone you love just do the things they do, being themselves. Embellishment continues our journey and see’s O.Love’s voice bring an almost dreamy quality that perfectly contrasts yet compliments the track. As you listen you are drawn into this parallel dimension of electric funk which lifts you up and carries you, floating in an alternate colourful realisation of space. As you float along the vocals reach into your mind and create this almost trippy vision of the duality of lives and everything around us. Where things are not always what they seam and those you trust often have an ulterior motive for doing or saying certain things. We venture further into the cosmos with an upbeat extra-terrestrial Rhythm which is infused with drums, bass, rain sticks and Rhodes piano (played by Jackson). It is all about the rhythm here and how it makes you feel and move.

We venture beyond our solar system on an electronic, futuristic jazz vibe and boom bap drums, alongside vocals and a rap from Press 1. All this combines to transport your awareness In To The Parallel dimensions. Feel free to stay here, especially if you consider you own dimension and are not happy with what is looking back at you. We spend a short interlude suspended between one dimension and the next. The music is unplugged with just a piano to accompany the vocals. This short moment says so much, O.Love says Before I Leave there is still time to reflect on all those individual times you ponder on life and who you would like to spend it with. Guitar and drums accompany the organ notes on Instascam as O.Love looks at the world of social media. There is a value in keeping touch with friends and family. There is also value in making new connections but, with all the fun you can experience comes many pitfalls, especially the addiction of valuing ‘likes’ above all else.

Dumbface hits with a percussion vibes and bass over the organ notes. The message here seems to reflect the ups and downs of everyday life. Especially those time we lose control of our conscious thought when tired and exhausted. We just need to maintain ourselves with poise and positive focus and not throw it back in one’s face, no matter the situation. There are times in life where we meet someone and there is that instant energy, The Spark, between you. These times you just have to act on that impulse because something special is to come. This is reflected in the energetic mix of musical notes here from guitars, bells and syth. From one kind of energy to another. A drum and synth heavy vibe takes us back to the 3-D world where Time Is Money, working hard and exhausting our mind and bodies. We do this all for money, a created concept that has no real value, except that which we put on it…

Pre-Wind has a melodic backdrop of bells as we realise that noise is a winding mechanism tightening, increasing the tension for what is to come. Our anticipation is carried forward with that winding sound alongside drums and guitar as we continue to Wind Up. What we are winding up to is an increase in sexual tension. The visions created here are x-rated to the maximum as you and your partner engage in all manor of fore play to increase the pleasure. That pleasure and the experience of love and making love is explored further as we groove to some smooth electronic vibes and guitar notes. Here it is all about taking that love to the next level, a universal experience that takes you both to the Finish Line.

We end the album with some smooth mix of drums, guitar, and synth vibes on SMHL. The sound carries us to the moments of true deep love. When it so strong for that special someone you just want the universe to do one thing, Send Me Her Love…

 

For me listening to Future Life Progression echoed the passion, the energy, and the spirit of Prince. Having been a huge fan of the purple one for many years, I was truly taken aback at how this album captured the essence of the late musical genius. I do not know if this was intentional or not but, it honestly felt spooky, just as if Prince was sat on the shoulder of O.Love who channelled that musical genius through once more. That might be a huge statement to make and, if you agree or not, that was what my initial feels were as I listened, and they have not changed.

You can truly feel O.Love’s love of music here and creating an album that will uplift you but, at the same time will allow the listener to transport themselves to different spiritual and emotional experiences each time they listen.

Although I have mentioned Prince here as a major influence, in my view, you can easily feel different influences from funk, jazz and soul to Hip Hop and more modern musical vibes, there is something for everyone to feel on this album. Through all these multi-genre influences there is still something that O.Love imprints on this album that is truly his own and for me it is his passion for creating something different that people can feel on many levels that speaks out. In a true departure from the DJ that people know him as, he has reinvented himself and in doing so has created a piece of music that truly does touch you on many levels.

What can I say except, experience Future Life Progression for yourself and see where it takes you?

The album is out now and at only a fiver, it's an absolute bargain.

Peace,

Steve.

LINKS

Get the album on Bandcamp Here:

https://olove001.bandcamp.com/album/future-life-progression