Single Review: BOMBIN' by BRIM

 

Bombin’

By

BRIM

 

Bombin’ is the latest release from Unsettled Scores Records and comes hot on the heels of the debut Tracy Song.

Bombin’ was originally recorded back in 1985 and was the title track for the Dick Fontaine documentary of the same name which was originally aired on Channel 4 in the UK in 1988. Composed by David Toop and Performed by Brim (TATS CRU) and written by Brim and Bronx Style Bob (Rhyme Syndicate) the track was never officially released, that I am aware of.

The Documentary, which you can find on YouTube, focused primarily on the graffiti element of Hip Hop, although breakin’, Rap and Scratchin’ was all featured but, to a lesser extent. Alongside Brim, the documentary featured the likes of Bambaataa and UK artists such as 3-D (Massive Attack / The Wild Bunch) and Goldie (MBE), there are also excerpts from Style Wars as well. It followed some of Brim’s 1985 exploits in the UK from lecturing at Oxford to painting at public events and more. There was a lot of candid parts that focused on his interactions with people around the UK involved in graffiti and Hip Hop. It also looked at the political and racial aspects of life in the UK, with Wolverhampton and Birmingham featured, and how those struggles mirrored the struggles in New York. The documentary ended with Goldie visiting New York before ending back in the UK with the ultimate message that Graff Writers and Bombers, no matter where they come from, grew their artform from doing their best to create something positive from the tough and often impoverished inner city life.

Back to this release which brings the essence of those early days of Hip Hop back to us, and I can remember, as a 17-year-old, setting the video recorder to tape the programme and then eagerly watching it the following day. I am sure that the feeling I get from hearing this again, will be the same for many more of you out there that remember this Documentary and the music.

The 7 inch vinyl version features a Vocal Edit and Guitar Dub Mix Edit that has been edited by the labels creator DeeJay Skamrok and alongside that the digital release features the Full Length Vocal/Guitar Dub Mix, the Main Theme/Original Version and Bombin’ Beats. All of which have been remastered from cassette tape that was recently discovered in the collection of Bombin’ composer David Toop and is finally released here for the first time in its original form and features previously unheard mixes and verses from Brim.

I’ll kick things off with Bombin’ (Full Length Vocal – Guitar Dub Mix) where the bass and mix of electronic and scratch elements brings back that early electro/808 Hip Hop sound. There is also a rawness to the sound that very much echoes the vibe of the streets that graffiti grew from. Brim’s vocals have a slick flow and speak to you on the life of a graff writer, living for bombin’ the trains and dodging the law while seeking to bring some colour and brightness to the darkness of ghetto. Yo can feel the energy and the passion of Brim as he speaks on what it means to him being a writer, constantly practicing his art to be ready to get up on the next train or wall, in a constant battle with other writers to be bigger, bolder and fresher. The extended instrumental part of the track combines all the elements of what Hip Hop music was at the time and those guitar elements put you in mind of what Run DMC were doing too, with incorporating those rock riffs as part of the track. This is the version that was originally used in the Documentary.

Next up are the two tracks that have been edited by DeeJay Skamrok to form the 7-inch vinyl release. The Bombin’ (7” Vocal Edit) breaks the track down to size for the vinyl by losing the extended instrumental part of the full length version but keeping the essence of Brim’s vocals and that electro Hip Hop vibe, creating an edit for the A-Side that can easily rock both sides of the tracks. The B-Side Bombin’ (Dub Guitar Mix Edit) takes the instrumental elements of the full-length version and mixes them into the perfect instrumental version of the track. This edit is a solid soundtrack for the bombers and writers out there and you can feel the energy of being out, in the dead of night, getting your tags, throw ups and outlines done before moving onto the next piece, all the while looking over your shoulder for the cops…

The next mix here is the Bombin’ (Main Theme – Original Version) and, from the title, you might think this is the main version used for the documentary; however, only about 15 seconds of this version was ever used in the documentary, at around the 13:55 mark, just after the conversation with the old woman. This version is stripped back, losing the guitar elements and just keeping the bass, giving this an even more raw Hip Hop sound that will touch the hearts of anyone who was there back in the day, stirring up memories of the documentary or even their own early days of getting up or experimenting with tags and so on. For me, this is the version that stirred the most memories in me and my own days experimenting with tags and Graff, something I still do to this day.

Last but, not least is the Bombin’ (Beats) which brings you the basic beat that underpins all of the mixes and edits that have come before. There is something about that sampled hand clap from this and the Original Main Theme that just seems to scream early 80’s electro Hip Hop. I just get the feeling that this one is gonna be inspirational for producers out there right now, seeking to bring that old skool element back, perhaps Hip Hop needs to take it back before taking it forward?

 

If I’m honest, there is not much more you can say about this one except that this release is a crucial part of Hip Hop history that needed to be put out there and for DeeJay Skamrok / Unsettled Scores Records to be able to get this released is truly something special for the culture. In my opinion anyway.

Here we have two formats that true Hip Hop heads will love. The vinyl version encapsulates the sound and physical media that we all grew up with and anything that is resurrected or discovered languishing in obscurity, needs to have that vinyl format, even if just for nostalgia. The digital version allows us to have those expanded versions and mixes in a form where we can enjoy them but, that would need a vinyl album format to be made available in physical version. Now there’s a thought?

What is crucial about what Unsetted Scores Records is doing with this and its previous release, is giving new live to tracks that might otherwise have been lost to time and it is important to bring these back for the enjoyment of many more generations to come. Bombin’ being made available now is not just going to hype up us old skool heads but, will give the younger generations another slice of Hip Hop to enjoy and draw inspiration from.

Everything this release is took be back to that seventeen-year-old me, enjoying the music but, more than that I can now here Brim’s lyrics and every word of those lyrics, feeling the energy and just how much he put his personal experiences into every line so that we know exactly what it is to be a writer, bombin’ and owning the lines.

If anyone has any confusion regarding the naming of the tracks, this comes down to how they were originally named when received from David Toop. I’ll let DeeJay Skamrok explain: When David Toop sent me the tracks the original version was titled “Main Theme” and the one used in the film was simply titled “Dub Guitar Mix”, no mention of a vocal. Not wanting to mess with the original titles I just made slight changes but now I’m wishing I’d called the Main Theme something like “Original Demo”. So, I hope that helps clear things up a little for everyone.

I also have to shout out Exile who has done a wicked job recreating the logo from the documentary and bringing it back for the cover.

This is one to be celebrated as it shows the universal nature of Hip Hop, even then nearly 40 years ago, uniting people of all creeds and colours, across boundaries and oceans, just as it does now.

My humble thanks to DeeJay Skamrok for giving me the chance to reminisce and bring you my thoughts on this one and for his comments and information that helped no end in just polishing this one off.

Bombin’ is available now so grab those physicals before they sell out.

I’ll see ya next time,

Keep on Bombin’…

Steve.

LINKS

Grab you copy Here:

https://www.unsettledscoresrecords.com/

or here

https://unsettledscoresrecords.bandcamp.com/music

Unsettled Scores Records on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/unsettled_scores_records/

Brim on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/brim1tatscru/

Unsettled Scores Records YouTube Channel:

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

VIDEOS

Bombin' (Full Length Vocal - Guitar Dub Mix)

BOMBIN' Original Documentary 1988

Single Review: Tracy Song / 4 Meters by David Chalfant

 

Tracy Song / 4 Meters

By

David Chalfant

 

Tracy Song and its B-Side 4 Meters by David Chalfant is the debut release from Unsettled Scores Records and before I get into this release, I think it’s important to give you some background.

Firstly, Unsettled Score records is the brainchild of Dan Sawkins (aka Deejay Skamrok) and when the chance to review this release came up I asked him about the new label and how it came about and this is what he had to say:

The idea for the label came about around 2015/6, I was into a bunch of the soundtrack labels at the time and had a list of titles in my head that I wished someone would release, not thinking for a second it was something I could do as I thought you had to have major backing to start a label. Then I heard an interview with Kevin Bergeron from Waxwork Records, he said when starting the label, he was denied a bank loan, so he sold off his musical equipment to get the money together. Hearing that interview made me realise I could do it myself too without a loan or any backing. All the money it took to start my label has been 100% funded by selling records from my personal collection.

With that in mind, I wondered what the label was likely to release moving forward:

There’s gonna be a mixed bag of music coming from Unsettled Scores Records in the coming years, there’s so many obscure on screen tunes that I want to see on my label but also very well-known scores and soundtracks to movies that I grew up with, this won’t be a label dedicated to one style of music, Hip Hop will always be my first love but my taste in music generally is wide so expect all sorts.

 

So, lets move on to this debut release, back in 2002 the classic 1983 documentary about the New York graffiti scene, ‘Style Wars’ saw an expanded 2-DVD release that included a host of bonus extras. Part of those bonus extra’s was a section called “Classic Hits” from Tracy 168 (who sadly passed away recently) which featured some rare super 8 footage of some of the early writers of the mid-70s. The track playing over that section has never seen the light of day until now, and that track is Tracey Song, which was composed especially for this footage by David Chalfant, the son of Henry Chalfant the photographer and videographer who documented so much of the Hip Hop culture including ‘Style Wars’ and many books.

Now, if it was not enough that Tracy Song now receives its long overdue release, but David Chalfant also recorded a brand-new track to serve as the flip side to this release, 4 Meters. How amazing is that…

So, please join me on my journey into this release…

Tracy Song has this infectious Latin Rock vibe that makes it hard to anything else but, nod your head move your body to the music. The drums, bass and guitars create this energetic sound that fuels the adrenaline and injects every joint of your body with this desire to move to the groove. However, there is also the connection to ‘Style Wars’ and for those who know, the more you listen, the more it puts you in mind of the documentary and the energy in the sound makes you think of what it must have felt like for the writers, out there after dark in the train yards and subway tunnels or on the subway trains themselves, expressing who they were and making their mark the only way they knew how, ‘on society’. Whenever, the writers went out they would be putting themselves at risk of arrest or even death as they jumped the third rail or avoided oncoming subway trains; the energy running through their bodies in those moments is what David Chalfant has captured on this track but, in a way that brings enjoyment and pays homage to what those writers were doing.

4 Meters has a far more funk infused sound, still using the drums, bass, keys, and electric guitar but, that 70’s funk vibe brings a different feel, while still keeping you moving to the groove. For those of us who still have that Graff connection in mind, David has created a sound here that seems to move you from the thrill of the previous night to a whole new thrill; this time it’s a whole new day and it’s all about getting out there to see your tags, throw-ups and pieces running on the trains as they pass by, “uptown, downtown, all over”. Writers went from tags on the trains and walls, to getting their names up bigger and better, with a desire to go all-city.   

 

What is amazing about this release is that it appeals to such a wide range of listeners; The Hip Hop heads will love it for its connection to ‘Style Wars’ and the graffiti scene as part the culture but, it will also appeal to those who love the Graff scene but, who are not exclusively Hip Hop, those who love soundtracks will love it as a previously unreleased piece of music and then it will also appeal to those who love good music or the Latin vibe or funk vibe, the list is almost endless because, at the end of the day, if you love the way music makes you feel and uplifts you, then this one is, most definitely, for you.

Unsettled Scores Records has, for it’s debut release, brought you a slice of history backed by something new and unheard from a composer that most will be unfamiliar with but, in doing that they have brought the name David Chalfant into lives of many and made a very bold and exciting statement as to what to expect from the label as it moves forward.

For me, I found that overall, Tracy Song and 4 Meters showed just how universal music can be. In one context, it fits with the Graff scene and its mid-70s roots but, even if you take away that context and the connection to Hip Hop, you still have two fantastic tracks, with slightly different styles of inspiration, from David Chalfant that you can enjoy no matter where you are or what you are doing.

Not only do I highly recommend this one for your collection but, I suggest that you keep an eye on Unsettled Scores Records in the future and perhaps look out for the name of David Chalfant as well.

 

My humble thanks to Dan for allowing me to review this debut release.

I would like to dedicate this review to the memory of the late Tracy 168 R.I.P.

 

On that note,

Be seeing ya,

Steve.

LINKS

Get your copy from Bandcamp Here:

https://davidchalfant.bandcamp.com/album/tracy-song

Unsettled Scores Records Website:

https://www.unsettledscoresrecords.com/

Unsettled Scores Records Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/unsettled_scores_records/

VIDEOS

TRACY 168: CLASSIC HITS (taken from the 2002 DVD edition of STYLE WARS). Music by David Chalfant.