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
