Review: Arythmatik - Pre-Algebra EP

Phoenix, Arizona emcee Arythmatik may be unknown now, but he's about to change all that with his first EP: "Pre-Algebra". Arythmatik is not only an emcee but was producer and artist for the album as well. Yes, he actually does it all. Arythmatik produced all the beats, wrote and performed all the raps, and created all the album cover art. The interesting thing is that I'm not sure what the EP showcases more, Arythmatik the emcee, or Arythmatik the producer.

"Pre-Algebra" starts off a little slow with a spoken word sample intro and then transitions to the first track, a slow plodding verse and chorus revealing his "Mind & Heart". I don't feel this track shows the best of Arythmatik's delivery and flow other than the catchy chorus. The slow rhyming sounds too simplistic and off balance. On the other hand, the beat is a slow, dark track that gives the first glimpse of Arythmatik the producer.

The album gets out of first gear and Arythmatik cranks the throttle wide open on track 3 "Polynomials". Production is top notch on this funky banging track. Horns blare over organ drops and funky 70's guitar riffs. The track is layered thickly and features cuts by Pickster One. Arythmatic opens up on this track and his flow is spot on. His word choice and rhyme patterns are well thought out he's comfortable on the mic.

Tempo is slowed again with "Square Roots" featuring guest emcee Fabel. Layered guitar samples float over a hard beat. This track again shows Arythmatik's growing skill behind the boards. His down tempo raps and Fabel's lazy style of delivery are overshadowed by the music itself.

"Southweststylez" and "Absolute values" better highlight Arythmatik's flow. He's got a slightly nasal voice and a staccato delivery reminiscent of B-Real from Cypress Hill. I think in time his flow will continue to mature.

"Factoring" starts off with Chinese sounding flute and grows to include vocal opera samples soaring above deep 808 kicks embellished with scratches by DJ Pickster One. This is another of the his memorable beats; another point scored by Arythmatik the producer. "The Cause" wraps up the Arythmatik lesson. It's a beat that quickly marches along with a repetitious hook. At under three minutes though it's more of an outro.

Arythmatik has done and given his all on this EP. The cover art is unique and well done. The beats show a lot of promise for a budding producer. Hopefully we'll see him on more albums producing tracks. He's got a unique flow that shows potential for future growth. On the constructive side: this EP is a bit rough around the edges and the flows are a bit inconsistent. The slow tracks don't suit his delivery. Despite this, the "Pre-Algebra" EP shows Arythmatik's growing skills and dedication to the game. He's put a lot of effort into this EP and it's showcases not just Arythmatic the emcee, but Arythmatik the producer and artist.

Points: 2.5 out of 5

Review: Vocab Malone - Happy Hardcore

Arizona native Vocab Malone has been pursuing music for several years now. He's appeared on cameos and has even created theatrical hip-hop productions. His first album "Notepad Nomad" introduced the underground to this west coast rapper's unique style. What can I say about Vocab Malone that hasn't been said already? Well, apparently a lot since some folks are still sleeping on this eclectic emcee. With today's proliferation of "thug life" preachin, mean muggin, tough guy emcees Vocab dares to have some fun with his music and break out of the current molds.

Hip-hop's roots are in the basement and block parties of NY. Now it seems an artist will loose all "street cred" if he cracks a smile. Vocab brings back some of the fun with this album. Vocab combines the serious with the lighthearted in his second album Happy Hardcore.

Vocab Malone approaches his raps pretty straightforward. His flow go from conversational, to sing song, to rhythmic depending on the track. He's comfortable with switching up his approach to each track and this album has a wide variety of musical styles present. There are tracks with heavy boom-bap drums and hard DJ cuts like "s'UP!" and "Prime of Life". There are tracks with strong jazzy beats like "A New Home" or sounds of discord on "Notalotalove" and "Yes/No". From happy to sad, harmony to dissonance, Vocab challenges the listener to keep up.

Topics on Happy Hardcore are as eclectic as his musical tastes. At times he opens up his heart and spills his feelings and fears. Daily struggles, depression and money troubles stand alongside carefree energetic tracks celebrating life. Vocab is open about his faith that God will take care of the turmoil around him, and finds strength in that. These individual tracks create an album with a unified theme. Happy Hardcore acknowledges life is hardcore, tough things happen and it's not always perfect, but God will give the strength and joy to cope. So he can be happy with the hardcore.

Vocab has strong support from DJ Cre One who handles all the production on this album. While Vocab and Cre create the backbone of this album they have a strong supporting cast as well. Guest emcees include Lightheaded, Pigeon John, Redcloud and Man of War among others. The turntable scribbles, stabs and flares are courtesy of guest DJ's Skribe, Fidel Castro, Manuel and Bombay.

Stand out tracks are "Prime of Life" featuring Lightheaded with its high energy disco influenced beat. The title track "Happy Hardcore" is another disco laced track that is really put together well and features a nice hook by Bridgett Kern and Bryan Kilgore. "Boo Hoo" is a stripped down track giving a tongue-in-cheek look at being happy in the midst of the daily struggles. Finishing out the album is a great live spoken word performance called “TV Poem”. This and “A New Home” highlight Vocab’s ability as a poet. He shapes words and meanings to serve his purpose and adds depth to the album as a whole.

Happy Hardcore’s strengths are tied to it’s weaknesses however. The variety of musical styles shows diversity but many people may want a more consistent feel to the album. Vocab switches up his flow and delivery depending on what type of track he’s on which may throw off some listeners.

Vocab has given an interesting mix of tempo, style and subject on Happy Hardcore. Cre One does a great job on the production, creating a very diverse group of tracks. Vocab Malone has put together an array of lyrics that show his growth and depth. This sophomore release will appeal to a variety of listeners.

Points: 3 out of 5

Review: DJ Form: On Deck Circle the Next Mixtape

Ok how many of you remember mixtapes! I mean the real thing: the Maxwell 60 cassette with a hand written label or none at all. The type of mixtape that you had to steal or “borrow” from your older brother or friends? These tapes (yes, I said TAPES) were often carefully recorded from late night hip-hop radio, with the commercials omitted by judicious use of the pause button. Perhaps you were lucky enough to pool the resources and pause/record only the best songs to create a veritable eargasm of hits.

For the financially challenged, like your truly, the mixtape represented the only piece of the music world I could afford. There wasn’t money to go out and buy 5 albums, but there was enough money to get a 3 pack of Maxwells (the kind with screws holding them together in case you have to fix a tape jam!). That 3 pack had the potential to hold a years worth of smokin tracks dubbed from friends, family and radio to be passed around among friends. If the mix was hot, “Break the tabs off!”

Social status was improved for those with the latest and greatet mixes so it soon became a competition, and the mixtape industry was born. Fast forward to today and the indistry is still pumping out mixes of artists to wet our appetites. Some “mixtapes” (now on CD) are mere collections of songs and have lost the “mix” element. However, the pinnacle of the industry lies with DJ-mixed performances that provide a non-stop sound assault of hits and potential hits, from established artists and up-and-comers.

Mixtapes get the word out, they capture attention, highlight DJ’s musical tastes and their turntable scratch/mix skills. A true hip-hop mixtape can keep your head nodding, get you hype with cut up mixes, and open your ears to new artists.

This brings up to the Mixtape (CD) at hand. DJ Form, of GRITS fame, has reappeared on the scene with a mixtape of his own. "On Deck Circle the Next Mixtape" featurs DJ Form behind the wheels mixing up a long list of emcees. The entire CD is mixed together for non-stop music and get this, NO SHOUTOUTS! What a relief to grab over an hour of music that has no corny "commercial breaks" or annoying DJ overdubs. With 29 track changes in this mixtape DJ Form takes full advantage of the time behind the table.

The mixes are well done but there are one or two awkward blends. Worth mentioning are several interludes featuring Form working out scratches on the tables. It's always great to hear some good juggling and cuts on an album. He does well in this setting with a classic hip hop DJ approach and execution.

Form chose a crossection of musical styles to showcase. West Coast carefree hip hop, Dirty South bangin tracks and raw East Coast raw raps are all represented. There are some known artists like Braille, Sev Statik and ManChild mixed with newer cats like The Rizewells, Soul Plasma and DJ Form's Incorporated Elements crew to keep this album fresh and diverse. The good thing about this mixtape is that while you'll know some artists or songs, you are sure to discover a few others.

This production is a high quality album that carries the torch of the old style mixtapes. It takes you back to the good old days when mixtapes were traded around and served as THE connection to the hip-hop scene. DJ Form created a mixtape with good blends, good scratches, good music and a variety of styles to choose from. The CD sound quality is high and is a welcome step up from my old cassette mixes. The only real downsides are that some of these songs have been out for a while, and there are a few rough blends between songs that could have been better. Buy this mixtape if you want to sample some new artists and if you want to have that feel-good mixtape experience again, without all the rewinding. This album stands head and shoulders above what's been sold recently in the name of mixtapes. Non-stop music for your head.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Review: Locke and the Chris Wilson Five "Loose Ties"

REVIEW: Locke and the Chris Wilson Five - "Loose Ties"

Locke makes up the emcee element of the Chris Wilson Five. This jazz/fusion group from Spokane, Washington has teamed up with Locke to produce "Loose Ties", a full length experiment in rap, jazz and funk. Guitar, bass, drums, horns, percussion and keys blend together in a live setting to create a jazzy backdrop that Locke rhymes over. Think of it as an emcee moving uptown to a smoky live jazz club and rocking the mic.

Don't judge this "book" by its cover. A glance at the album gives no clue as to what lies within. A black and white and pink (?) album design shows a group of suited guys lounging around, a la the university "glee club". The text and layout resembles an 80's throwback album, unique but somewhat confusing, I thought I had the wrong album. Fortunately, the music overshadows the packaging.

The Chris Wilson Five is a band that plays well together. The musical production is well done. The whole album feels like a one-take studio recording or night club performance. Instruments are layered and intertwined as only a real band can do. Rhodes and bass riffs set the tempo with ever changing drums and percussion weaves intricate patterns over which Locke works. The snare drum sets the 4/4 beat necessary for his rhymes and is sometimes the only consistent thread as the group adjusts and changes the music in typical jazz fashion. Fans of jazz, fusion and live performances will certainly enjoy this album. There is something lost in much of today’s formulaic hip-hop production. It’s refreshing to hear a band and emcee just get down.

Locke does a good job rapping over the music. Without a strong boom-bap on most songs it must have been a bit of a challenge to work with. His mid-tone vocals follow the beat closely and he seems best on mid to faster tempo tracks. Locke seems to jump around on his topics and doesn’t keep a consistent focus. Life, Love and Spirituality abound but the topics seem less important than the delivery.

His easy going style matches the jazzy up tempo tracks. One noticeable aspect of this album is that most of the tempos are similar. This gives the impression, after a few tracks, that Locke is using the same patterns on each song. This does not help him stand out and he sometimes blends into the track. Locke tries to work some lyrical angles in his writing but is still a fairly straightforward lyricist. Locke adds a nice element to these songs but is sometimes overshadowed by the instrumentation.

The album has only 10 songs at slightly over 30 minutes, including an abstract jazz instrumental “Featuresque“. I’d like a few more songs but I know that a musician produced album is a much larger undertaking than your average hip-hop Rapper/DJ offering.

“Loose Ties” by Locke and the Chris Wilson Five is a good niche album. Fans of jazz and fusion will enjoy this twist on the genre. The up-tempo songs shine. They have good flow and progression to them and Locke sounds comfortable on these tracks. This is not your average hip-hop album. It's a heavy dose of live jazz band featuring raps throughout. It should appeal to a variety of people. That may be the real strong point of this album, its broad appeal. Fans of Jazz Fusion and hip-hop alike should enjoy the latest offering from this group of talented musicians and a lyricist.

Score: 3.5 out of 5