OLOFF circles back to the limelight with second project of the year, ‘Sameways’, which sonically takes on a more sombre route than its predecessor, ‘Expat’, which carries an appeasing presence of retro soul and samples that’s associated with the Golden Hollywood era.
A downtempo, yet somewhat airy electronic drive dominates the ten track set momentarily interrupted by melodic chants (as heard in intro track, ‘Always’), 808/hip-hop beats (in ‘Bonce’ and ‘Half Open’).
Covering the themes of eternal recurrence, amphetamines, paranoia and circular living, ‘Sameways’ concludes with alternating sounds of industrial soundscapes, that can pierce through the coldest of souls, and hypnotic chants.
Sometimes, I wonder what goes through the mind of this indie rapper, who creatives extreme off-the-cuff material that somehow (I think) has potential widespread appeal. If you’re inquisitive enough to enter Oloff’s world, why not hit the button on the album below.
An attention-grabbing jittering sound comes piercing through first track ‘Automatic’, giving a bold introduction to FLY VON‘s latest mixtape, ‘FlyMix Vol.2’.
The prospective listener would be given if the seven-track set follows through with the jarringly-dope tone offered up in the intro track. However ‘FlyMix Vol.2’ changes direction and gives a smooth run of lack-laid slow jams vibing with a heavy bass that gives each arrangements that extra kick – with the exception of ‘Broke In A Minute’ which pretty much takes on a similar tone as ‘Automatic’, boasting a looping horn that goes rampant with fly’s flow oozing into the boisterous sound.
The mixtape eases down and concludes with ‘No Surprise’. With trance-like and hazy soundscapes, ‘No Surprise’ is a type of track that you kick back and roll up on your own or with some friends.
Fly Von always comes different and this mixtape is sure to ascend nicely on his ever-fly discography – get it? Oh never mind; Check ‘FlyMix Vol.2’ out below plus songs recommendations below…
What I find so appeasing about Bristolian rapper OLOFF is that you can never guess his next move. His second project of the year, ‘Expat’ took me a bit by surprise as it contain pretty slick uses of samples, ranging from retro soul, right through rock/90s grunge plus samples that has a twang of 50s Hollywood Glamour – see, I told his guy was so delightfully unpredictable!
One thing that’s not predictable is his infamous askew delivery which at times ferociously pierces through some of the most delicate productions (listen to intro single ‘I Don’t Breathe’, ‘Obvious/Someone’s Missing/Luigi’s Mansion)
I appreciate that ‘Expat’ isn’t everyone’s cup of tea or a one size fits all type of mixtape, but it’s definitely worth a go just to hear the juxtaposition of his wayward delivery against the varied arrangements.
Must Listen: I Don’t Breathe, Lord’s Prayer, Luigi’s Mansion
If you’re regular passer by on the blog, the name REDD TUNES must ring a bell as he has been featured countless of times with EPs that takes you back to the golden hip-hop/boom-bap era.
As always, Redd Tunes pulls a stellar line up for his releases and his project, ‘Rhyme Slingers’ is no exception, as the guest artists gives some extra swag to the irresistibly melodic productions which, at times, takes on a old school soulful favour and modern psychedelic sound. New recruit, Isis Aset, gives off a blazing vibrancy against the woeful violins, creating an almost classical sound in second effort, ‘Crisis’. Old staple Cubian Pete, offers up his unapologetically Londoner flow in ‘Blurrr’.
As well as producing the project, the man himself teamed up with fellow veteran emcee and long-time collaborator TJ Chill for track ‘Pioneers,’ a smooth hip-hop/boom bap piece accompanied by sporadic runs of the piano keys which serves as the perfect platform for both taking turns to showcase their ballsy delivery.
Although this neat set of just seven tracks holds a very similar golden urban sound, Redd Tunes’ Rhyme Slinger, to me, also bursts with a fresh and boisterous sound that begs attention. Check it out below…
Must Listens: Crisis, Blurrr, Pioneers, Anagram of Goldz
After rocking the blog with singles, ‘Peruvian Encrusted Swordfish’, ‘Detlet, plus album ‘Dream Team: A Stokely Hathaway Joint’, all of which he collaborated with good friend and rapper Jihad Scorcese, it’s great to catch up with producer JASON GRIFF to discuss his debut album‘Fireside Chats‘ – and also to remember Scorcese, who sadly passed away in January.
NLM: Hey, thank you for taking part in an interview with NEW LEASE MUSIC. How is 2021 treating you so far?
JG: Thank you! It got off to a rough start two weeks in when Scorcese passed away. It was, and still is, hard to bounce back from that, but I’m handling it as best I can. Other than that, it’s been pretty good.
NLM: You recently released your debut album, ‘Fireside Chats’ back in May. What is the public perception on the project so far?
JG: So far everyone seems to really like it. I got a lot of praise and coverage from outlets that had not really shown any love in the past so that’s exciting. I’m sure a lot of people hate it too but I haven’t heard much of that and it probably wouldn’t phase me anyways.
NLM: How would you describe the album’s sound to potential fans?
JG: It’s a punk rock-inspired hip-hop album. But it’s not a bunch of corny mash-ups, it sounds like a rap album. You can enjoy it if you’re not in to punk at all.
NLM: What inspired you to produce the album?
JG: When I was a teenager I was heavy in the punk scene, going to shows all the time. I got older and started making beats so I had the idea to combine my two favorite genres.
NLM: What is/are your favourite single(s) from the album and why?
JG: There’s 2. “Adapt” feat. Alaska is one because he really killed that beat and gave me a lot to play with and take it to the next level. The other is “Summer of Punk” feat. Scorcese. He really did the work on that one. The first version he did was cool but I gave him a bunch of research to do and he ended up referencing all those bands throughout the song.
NLM: The album features a host of promising rappers, including Scorcese (who sadly pass away in January 2021). What was it like working with him?
JG: He was like a rap personal trainer, always pushing you to take it up a notch to the next level. I wouldn’t be releasing music in 2021 if I hadn’t met him.
NLM: How did your friendship with Scorcese came to fruition?
JG:We met via Zilla Rocca when Scorcese was looking for producer to do remixes of an album he had put out. I did one for the project and we hit it off right away and started working on the Dream Team album.
NLM: What are the top three qualities you would associate with Scorcese?
JG: Dedication. Hustle. Humor.
NLM: Do you have other project(s) for 2021?
JG: Yes! I have an album called Human Zoo with Alaska coming out in September via Insubordinate Records. I’ll also have productions on several projects from other artists and some singles and maybe a beat tape or two. At the label we will have Alex Ludovico’s solo album and some posthumous Scorcese releases.
NLM: How can potential fans find you?
insubordinaterecords.com will get you all of my music. I’m on Twitter and IG as @iamjasongriff and a majority of my catalog is on all streaming platforms, just search for Jason Griff (or sometimes just Griff)
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