C.I.R.C.U.S
By
Frisco Boogie
Nottingham emcee Frisco Boogie is back with a band new long
player for us to get our ears and heads around. Following on from his recent
releases Masks of the Morning Son (2020) and Rainbows in the Rubble (2021), his
new offering of C.I.R.C.U.S, promises to give us much to ponder. I say this as
the expanded title reads as Conditions In Reality Causing Us Stress, this alone
brings us to thoughts and memories of what we have all experienced over the
last eighteen months or so.
Now when I began work on the review, I actually did not know
the title, so it is interesting to see what my thoughts and intuition have conjured
up as I immersed myself in the C.I.R.C.U.S.
The album begins with the title track CIRCUS. The beat
pure head nod Hip-Hop with some flute and piano create this atmosphere that
makes your head spin in different directions. Any circus is filled with many acts,
and you never know what to expect and here we see this reflected in the arena
of life around us. Anyone looking in at life would wonder if we are going to
continue to be stuck in the three ringed circus and how it affects us or will
we break free? An acappella into leads
us into flute and drum driven beat that’s pounds your ears. This pounding reflects
the way we pound our mind, body, and soul by working so hard, daily, just so we
can provide. So often we do it not because we want to but because we feel we
have to, only resting when the sun goes down at Sunset. A more laid-back
vibe is created by drums, guitar, and organ notes. Here Frisco Boogie lets us
know that there are too many people out there who do not give what they do 100%
dedication. To be respected you need to be on top of your game and means
staying with your vision, stick to your path. Always enjoy what you do and
don’t let things distract you, because that 100 you put in will bring you 100
or more in return.
A darker edge settles over us with some eerie organ notes
over a trap style beat. This one looks at relationships and more importantly
those we have with ourselves. Those relationships are not always positive as
they are often filled with deception and, you have to ask yourself, if you were
on the outside looking in then who would be Clowning who. The trap style
and darker edge stays with us here on Dennis Rodman, where Frisco Boogie
looks at how the current state of affairs, dis-information, differing theories
and uncertainty all have a huge impact on mental health. All to often this
causes us to question what we see and even who we are, sometimes it leads to
people reinventing themselves into a different version of who they truly are
and covering up that true version. It’s back to the boom bap now with some
electronic notes we take a look at those times we are Flying High on our
own adrenaline. That place we go to where we feel we can do anything and that
nothing can bring us down, where it’s all about that extra step, taking a
chance and setting up an advantage. At the end of the day who knows what
tomorrow will bring so why not go for it…
Piano over a trap style beat brings us to a reality check
looking at those who chose to Runaway from their life. There is always a
reason, a story behind what someone choses. Here is a stark look at the stories
behind the choices. Some big orchestral violins, piano and guitar over a
pounding beat create a reflective feel as the focus switches to peoples Opinions.
A person’s opinion is just that, there own outlook on something and often
opinions differ from person to person. Often our opinions change as we grow and
learn but, there are times when some opinions don’t change. It is these times
when some allow their opinions to consume them and to become more than just a
point of view that conflict happens. The mood switches to a more upbeat mix of
drums and mariachi style guitar vibes. Mydnite joins Frisco Boogie here to look
at how emcees focus on honing their craft, constantly looking to perfect their
wordplay and keep themselves at the top of their game, just like those Prize
Fighters.
Piano, a sparse beat and trap vibe mix with the sung opening
a chorus to create just the right sound for Theatres Of The Mind. Mental
health is such a huge subject but, still so often treated as the elephant in
the room. Frisco Boogie takes a look at many of the aspects of how it affects
so many of us. For some that might be just a passing phase, a brief touch with
the darkness. However, for many those shadows are always present making it so
hard to see or only catching a brief glimpse of the sunshine. The album’s
penultimate track is a posse cut, full of heavy horns, guitar and most
definitely boombap. Frisco Boogie is joined by Montener The Menace, BooDah and
Lee Ramsey for a tongue-in-cheek look at cancel culture, movies and TV and all
those who just can’t Shut Up! Constantly going on about this and that,
convinced their opinion is the law. The album ends on a trap vibe that is piano
heavy. Frisco Boogie takes one last look at what is going on in the world. It
may look like everything is going to shit. Everyday we wake to more lies and
the fear-based media, governments who seek to control the masses through that
fear. All is not lost to us, there is still a way to bring back the light. We
must Raise The Stakes, no matter how hard, rise up and be the catalyst
for change on a global scale…
Now you might well think that C.I.R.C.U.S has quite a
dark vibe running through it and is that not surprising given the current state
of society in which we live. We are not sure what is truth and what is not,
what is control and what is free thought, the media constantly fills our
awareness with fear-based reporting, and we wonder if there is new divide being
created among us over a needle. But Frisco Boogie does enough to show us that
whatever is going on, one thing is certain and that is the light will shine
again and it will come from our own desire to stand tall and create a positive
future.
As always Frisco Boogie mixes up his styles and flows with
his intelligent and emotive wordplay. He gives just the right verbal
description to fuel your imagination into focusing on exactly what he is
putting across. He creates this perfectly balanced mix of music and words that
has you bobbing and weaving through the album, reflecting exactly how it is in
life. There is a great balance of musical styles here that will appeal to wide
range of audiences and allow everyone to associate with the messages he is
putting across.
The whole idea of basing the album around the analogy of the
Circus creates this instantly recognisable vision you can easily overlay on
current events. A place where people go to be entertained, surprised and even
shocked, never knowing exactly what to expect or what is real or what is
deception or misdirection. Also, there is this hidden aspect, the story behind
the performers, who are they truly and how much of their performance is either
reflective of or a cover for their own lives. Of course, there is also a flip
side to all this. While everyone is focused on what is going on in the Circus,
what is going on outside? What is their attention being drawn away from?
The world around us might be one big C.I.R.C.U.S and
the only way we can break free of that is
to wake up and not give in to the fear and the lies, to stand up and
leave the C.I.R.C.U.S and see what is really going on and lift ourselves
up to the bright future.
C.I.R.C.U.S is out now.
So, it’s time for me to leave this circus,
Peace out,
