EP Review: Chances Ocean – Isaac B

Released earlier in the year, the piano-led single ‘Love Yourz’ leads the way with in ISAAC B‘s latest EP, ‘Chances Ocean’. The melodic piece which encourages us to be grateful for what we got, rather pining after other’s success stories, sets the tone for this conscious mini set.

‘Chances Ocean’ then takes on a meditative and somewhat a seductive stance on hip-hop and R&B, which arguably has a Tom Misch twang to it. The promising rapper covers a ray of topics – from paying homage to prominent figures who paved the way in hip-hop (in ‘I’m Here’), to contemplating the reason why the good die young and his desire to get a Grammy in honor of his late grandmother (in ‘Did You Further) and having that ego boost, while staying humble, as his career progresses (in ‘Lean’.)

When I first discovered Isaac B through his bass-heavy joint, ‘See No Evil, Hear No Evil (SNE HNE)’ last year, from that moment I knew he was a serious hip-hop contender who isn’t worry about following the crowd. Tracks ‘Oceans and Chances’ and ‘Yourz Truly’ (to me) reveals that side of him as a musician. Although he has sheer determination to make an impressive dent in the game, his priority is to stay true to himself rather than chasing ‘the fame’.

Sonically, I expected to hear some roaring thuds as in ‘SNE HNE’ – but it doesn’t mean that I was left disappointed. ‘Chances Ocean’ reveals to me that this conscious spitter can turn his hand to anything and I cannot to see how far his musical journey will take him.

Have a listen to ‘Chances Ocean’ below…

Must Listens: Love Yourz, Oceans and Chances, Higher Power

RVDICAL THE KID LINKS UP WITH AMAARAE FOR NEW SINGLE ‘NASA’, ANNOUNCES SOPHOMORE EP ‘LITTLE PLANET’

With over two million streams under his belt, critical acclaim and support from the likes of Pigeons & Planes, FACT Magazine, Soulection, Indieshuffle, BandCamp and The Native Magazine, as well as recent production credits for rising stars such as Amaarae, Tems, Maesu, and Nonso Amadi, Beninois-Ghanaian producer, DJ and artist RVDICAL THE KID has unveiled his long-awaited Carte Blanche follow-up and highly anticipated sophomore project titled Little Planet.

To be released via Platoon this Friday (14th August), Rvdical’s Little Planet EP is backed by his new single ‘Nasa’, which features Ghanaian songstress and producer AMAARAE, who has been having a breakthrough year of her own, with recent support from Apple Music, The FADER, NPR and Hypebeast, among others. ‘Nasa’ marks the fourth joint effort from the two frequent collaborators Rvdical and Amaarae, who have been working together since 2017.

Speaking about the inspiration behind ‘Nasa’, Rvdical The Kid says: “It is a fun record I made with nothing particular in mind other than the pursuit of the exhilarating feeling of creating. The process of creating the record almost felt like an acid trip, flowing through synths, drums and foley that carefully landed me on a very ethereal and spacey and beat. My love for contrast and juxtaposition informed the almost obnoxious pitch screwed bass that drives the entire record”.

Have a listen below…

 

Song of the Day: Type 0 – Gear

Jumping into today’s hot spot is U.S. alt-rapper/producer GEAR and his rampant track entitled ‘Type-0’, his first release with label Potent Funk.

Hailing from Dallas, GEAR is a multi-talented artist who creates rap inspired by a smorgasbord of electronic genres.

Throughout his younger years, GEAR discovered a large realm of styles in deep corners of the internet. They included grime, industrial, dubstep, drum & bass, and more. His sound is the pounding product of these influences.

In addition to what he gained through an immersion in Southern rap, he also draws inspiration from countries across the globe, making for an incredibly left-field and unprecedented combination. Check out the video for ‘Type-0’ below…

Song of the Day: Lazy Light (Remix) – Mieko Shimizu

Remixed by Mercury Prize winner Mike Lindsay (Tunng) and co-written with William D Drake of The Cardiacs, MIEKO SHIMIZU‘s single, ‘Lazy Light’, goes on a laid-back journey through a smoke-filled landscape.

The track opens with pitch bending guitars, much like Connan Mockasin or Mac DeMarco and simmers down into a super chilled stoner backbeat. Mieko’s easy liquid style, backed by haunting vocals from William D Drake create a cocktail perfect for a lazy, hazy summer afternoon with nowhere to go and nothing to do.

Mieko and her brother, Yasuaki Shimizu (also a critically acclaimed artist), arrived in London with a singular goal in mind – to subvert all expectations of a Japanese female artist. A statement of intent, Mieko broke into the UK electronic movement under the moniker of Apache 61, garnering plays by John Peel and quickly building a name across the underground scene dominated by male contemporaries. She soon signed to Haruomi Hosono’s (Yellow Magic Orchestra) label releasing her eponymous album and led to her remixing tracks for YMO. She is an enigmatic live performer and has supported the likes of Goldfrapp, Massive Attack with Riz MC at their Meltdown Festival and with Kraftwerk at Sonar, Barcelona.

‘Lazy Light’ is taken from her album, ‘I Bloom’ released earlier this year… have a listen below…

EP Review: Random House of Evil – Henny Knightz

HENNY KNIGHTZ‘s self produced/written EP, ‘Random House of Evil’ takes on avant-garde approach to alternative hip hop, alternating between the warped instrumentation with deep 808 thuds, that goes to the core of your soul, and the semi-tranquil melodic bass lines.

Lyrically, Henny – who makes one half of The Knighthood Society with fellow rapper Nicki Knightz – unapologetically narrates the darkest moments in his life – his battle with poverty and depression – in the rawest form.

Although this his personal journey, the six-track EP could somewhat offer some comfort for anyone who has been struggling with the aforementioned issues and has came out the other end much stronger and harder.

For anyone who is currently going through depression and/or is stuck in the poverty rut, well think of ‘Random House of Evil’ as your much needed therapy. Have a listen below…

Must Listens: Soul, Pontiac Black