Times Like
These
By
Steg G and
Freestyle Master
Both Steg G and Freestyle Master are no strangers to the
blog with Freestyle Master featuring on Steg G’s Demons album back in June last
year, they also contributed to the album No Justice No Peace by the Scottish
Hip Hop Artists For Equality back in 2020. With Freestyle Master being a major
contributor to the recent releases by Steg G, Times Like These comes as
a hotly anticipated follow-up to their last full release together The
Freedom Frequency (2017).
Conceptually, Times Like These see’s the Glaswegian duo
exploring abstractions based around the nature of time itself. The album was
released through Powercut Productions at the end of February this year, so
there is a good chance that some of you have already heard the album and might
have an idea of what to expect but, there will be those of you who have yet to
open your ears to this album or even to the music of Steg G and Freestyle
Master, so I hope you’ll all join me as I take you through the ten tracks of
Times Like These from top to bottom…
The guy’s kick things off with Welcome 2 My World
which features a pounding drum beat with some piano vibes that have an almost
eerie quality to them, creating a heavy head nod sound with dark edge to it.
This one is set in the present moment and looks at the harsh realities of life
and society in the current world we live in. Although, its not all harsh as
Leafdog and High Focus, from my neck of the woods, get a mention, which casts
your mind to the work of one of UK Hip Hops dopest, dragging your mind away,
albeit briefly, from the dark times around you. The eerie piano vibes continue
on Between The Lines, which mixes with other keys, a melodic drum beat
and a sprinkling of that more modern cymbal tapping sound, giving this one a
heavy sound that seems to weigh heavy on your mind. Here we have a sobering
story of how time gets away from you and how drugs and alcohol can also taint
your view of how you spent that time. To you the experience may have been fun
and enjoyable, when in reality, it was far from that. Next, we move to the
albums title track Times Like These. A heavy drumbeat, cymbals and nerve
stretching keys combine to infiltrate your mind to put your focus on the
lyrics. The mind and how we fight our own inner demons, seems to be the focus
of this track; I mean, how many of us have sat in a tough spot we have been in
before and thought to our selves ‘how many times is this gonna happen to me’?
It’s less about the passage of time here and more about the repetitive nature
of the struggles we all face, and yet still we forge forward, no matter the
adversity…
All We Got has a sound that brings to mind a
nightmarish vision with a sparce beat, keys and nerve shredding electronic
sounds on the bridge, all combining to bring a sound that has you questioning
the nature of reality. What you get from this one is the imbalance and
inequality in social standing. This is an issue that is almost as old as time
itself, where the few appear to hold all the balance of power, when in reality
it is Us, the many, those looked on as the lower classes that possess the real
power and in our current reality we need to look to each other for the strength
to use that power in the most positive way. More pounding drums and electronic
notes bring a sound that has elements of the electro sound. What this does is
to raise the mood slightly to give you a more open mind for Cause And Effect.
This might be a shorter track but, the impact of the words are not dumbed down
in any way. This is a deep look at the fact that ‘what you give is what you
get’ and ‘every action has a reaction’, what you realise here is that things
that happen in our past have an impact on our futures. People mistreated in
their youth often perpetuate similar behaviours in their adult life, that’s
just one example but, leaves you feeling that there is a lot to be said for the
saying ‘treat others as you would have them treat you’, it leaves you with much
to contemplate. The electronic notes on Spitefully Grimey has a very
John Carpenter soundtrack vibe, in fact the whole track has that vibe, making
you feel that you are not just listening to something but, being a part of it
too; or it that it’s a part of you? That feeling is well placed as this track
could be about anyone of us, the good and bad aspects of life and the things we
have all done. As you look back at your life, can you honestly say that these
words do not describe you too, think about it…!
The Poison is the only track on the album to have a
feature as CCTV joins Freestyle Master on vocals. Steg G’s sound here is piano
heavy alongside the heavy beat. The cymbal sound and switch up on the drum beat
serves to tweak your nerves keeping you focused on the vocals. This one looks
at all those individual moments where the negative words and judgements of
others impacted on our desire or motivation to reach or achieve something.
Although, there are also times when those same derogatory words may even have
spurned us to go that extra mile just to prove them wrong. It’s all about who
we are and how we chose to take the words and opinions of others, they can nock
us back or push us forward, we decide the outcome. Our minds and nerves are
once more tested with the electronic sounds and notes that such a part of the
sound on She’s A Psycho. The drumbeat is still there and keeps you
nodding as you listen to this tale of a moment in time where beauty hid the
beast. This could just be a story but, just as easily this is a cautionary tale
to be aware that not everyone is who they appear to be on the outside,
something that might have happened to anyone of us, it has certainly happened
to me in the past. The piano and horns on Rewind, mix with the boom bap
drum beat to get the energy pumping and the head nodding with a real uplifting
sound. Sometimes you can hear a track that doesn’t just take you back to a
moment but, to many moments dotted throughout your life and this is one of those.
Speaking on those good friends we meet along the way; the kind of friends we
think we’ll always be together. Sometimes we loose touch or those people pass
away but, they always hold a special place in our hearts and this one really
reminds you of and rewinds you to those moments and those friends. Before you
realise it, you’re at the final track of the album Sunset, where organ notes serenade
you ears for nearly half the track before the beats drops in bringing more
energy but not overshadowing the emotive nature of the sound. That emotive
feeling is reflected in the lyrics which look at aspects of human nature But,
more than that there is a sunrise and a sunset in all our lives, and it is what
we do with the time we have that defines us so, remember to seize each moment
and be the greatest expression of who you truly are and create a magnificent
sunset…
We measure the passing of each moment we experience under
the veil of construct we call time but, this helps us create reference points
we can use to remember specific events, things that have happened that have a
deep or life changing impact of our lives as we move along the path of life,
and Times Like These puts some of these impressions into our awareness
in a way that is enjoyable but, at the same time emotive, doing it in such a
way as to create something that is easily relatable by anyone listening and who
choses to really listen and feel between the lines.
Both Steg G and Freestyle master, in their own way,
perfectly emulate this feeling of the passing of time, reflection, everything
in-between and beyond. Steg G uses his production skills to craft these
stunning musical backdrops that bring these musical triggers for our own
emotions. Alongside this Freestyle Master brings his lyrical prowess, flows and
emotive story telling that uses his own lived experience to bring our own
personal experiences to the surface; together they create this etheric link
with the listener, where the individual experiences feel like one shared
experience and the essence of time become more than a linear measure and more
of place where we all live, separate but, inexorably linked.
Now, all that deep thought aside, Steg G is on fire here
with production that captures the essence of each track. The sound has one huge
foot planted firmly on the side of Hip Hop but, along the way, there are many
other influences that come in, adding extra depth to the sound. I have never
been a fan of this this more modern sound that includes this high paced cymbal
sound, its just a personal thing however, it does not take anything away from
this album, what it does do is to broaden the listener base because Hip Hop
heads will love it and the younger generation who like the trap, grime and
other vibes, will also get something out of this one too. It has a good cross
genre sound and there is nothing wrong with having that because music is more
than just one genre. Freestyle Master does a superb job here by bringing his
A-game and mixing up the flows, wordplay and using lived experiences to bring a
deep level of relatability to every track. He also displays flows that show
influences from other sounds too, adding that aspect which will make listeners
of other genre’s enjoy what he has to say. What is plainly obvious though is
that Steg G and Freestyle Master have this rapport that allows them to work
perfectly together, and you get this feeling that each knows exactly what the
other is thinking, in a musical context.
Times Like These is a very deep but, expressive album that
really invites the listener to listen, feel and remember what happens over the
passage of time and that every experience in any one moment can have far
reaching implications but, what is most important is that every moment we
experience makes us who we are so, live those moments to the fullest.
Times Like These is out now on Powercut Productions and available on streaming,
digital and limited-edition vinyl.
My thanks to both Steg G and Freestyle Master for the chance
to bring my impressions to you.
I’m Out,
See ya next time.
Steve.
Social Links:
https://www.instagram.com/freestylemasterpcp/
https://www.instagram.com/steg.g
https://www.facebook.com/Steg3000
https://www.facebook.com/frzamza
VIDEOS
ALL WE GOT
REWIND
