Fresh out of Bristol, the Ambush Family Tree are back. Always staying fiercely independent, AFT have been smashing it with the D&B recently & has found some of the hottest underground music to surface in recent months gaining a steady reputation for quality output ‘The Moment’ showcases another Branch of the tree, Hip-Hop, as they go back to their roots with some sharp vocally driven boom bap that drops us straight back in the 90’s. AFT004 sees Carasel effortlessly ride the Ded Tebiase production ably assisted by the razor sharp flows of Blacksmith & Jman. The track comes with not only an instrumental and an acapella, but also with a clean radio edit to make sure all your DJ needs are covered.
Carasel who is well known in D&B circles for hosting major festivals and club nights with the likes of TC & Sigma released his debut Hip-Hop project in 2012 ‘Progression’ and went on to tour the music across Europe under the ‘Carasel Live’ guise, since that debut he has had a steady stream of releases on a varied soundscape of BPM’s and Tempos on a variety of labels including Hospital, Formation & Audioclone. The Moment returns him to the essence of classic sounding Hip-Hop, scratched hooks and sharp rhymes that show how he hasn’t forgotten his influences & show the power, strength & versatility of Carasel as a writer and emcee.
The way Ded Tebiase flips up the sample and adds the cuts is crazy and we dare you to try and not nod your head to the solid production and rhyme patterns as Blacksmith kicks of the track with a solid 16 and Jman one of UK Hip Hops most celebrated MCs shuts down the tune and shows why his 2014 album Auronography has led him to touring the world this year. This is music from the soul, expressed as it should be, with passion and integrity.
The acapella on the flip is a rare and welcome addition these days & works just as well in the mix as the full version, giving the possibility of dropping the vocals in any mix you like, to quote Carasel ‘Different flows for different shows different tempos of drums’. The Family tree is growing the roots are going deeper than ever before, every new branch seems to come with something fresh and exciting and we can’t wait for the next ‘Moment’.
Carasel Ft. Jman & Blacksmith – The Moment (Prod. by Ded Tebiase)
Purchase links:
http://www.beatport.com/release/the-moment/1393438
http://www.junodownload.com/products/carasel-jman-blacksmith-the-moment/2593044-02/
AFT Records & Recreo Present ‘False Promise’ Release Party…
AFT release party arrives on the 14th November. Stanza’s upcoming EP titled ‘False Promise’ is eagerly anticipated so we have arranged a line up sure to satisfy the hardest ravers. This month, Hybrid Minds and Stanza will be headlining the event, and we have the best of local Bristol based talent in Range & Kable, Phantom, Karmein & Dubbz. Hosting the party will be Carasel, Texas, Akespeare & Kaydan.
Facebook Event Page:
https://www.facebook.com/events/731948726875641/
Connect with AFT Records:
aftrecords@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/AftRecords
http://instagram.com/aftrecords
https://soundcloud.com/aftrecords
Simon Cowell is a prick. He’s taken an abstract concept to define an immeasurable talent and personality, and watered down the impact of it. What am I going on about I hear you ask? The X factor. That thing that you can’t buy or sell, that you can’t explain you just feel, is now associated with drivel. But let me tell you Flo has the X factor in droves, and she defines it. I am lucky enough to have been aware of this talented woman for a little while now and even in a short space of time she has cemented many a new fan, and has herself grown as both a singer and more so a writer.
So here we have her debut solo release ‘Lazy Days’, a 9 track blissful journey of charisma and confidence. At a blue print level its a brave project. to have a female singer involved heavily in the underground Hip Hop scene that is characteristically male led could lead to one of two things: either we get songs about shaking your ass and how broke men are, or we get a strong positive character and role model, it rarely ever seems to be anything other than those polar ends of the scale in my opinion.
Thankfully to those of us blessed with IQ points it’s the latter, Flo is such a fine example of how to have class and creativity as a female songwriter. It bothered me to bring gender into it but it is a pertinent topic I think we all know that and it’s refreshing to have such a genuine artist come through.
Now back to the music, because it’s an absolute delight of a listen. The layers and levels are obvious from the choice of classic Hip Hop instrumentals, to the vocal gymnastics and harmonies. With a vocal range to shame any famous pop singer she oozes ability and most importantly fun when she sings.
I could break it down in a million ways but that would take away from just how good it is to just listen to, be it early morning chilling vibes through to wavey skanking, it’s sure to become some peoples mainstay feel good groove to listen to. Strongly written lyrics and airy melodies are what set Flo apart from pretty much any other female singer/songwriter you care to compare her to, which some are foolishly prone to do.
You really have to ask yourself, what It is you want from your music? Now if it’s genuine craft and talent you are after then this is definitely something you must check out. When you play this loud it seems to nullify any worries you have while you nod your head and vibe along with it. Again given that this released most prominently into the Hip Hop scene (as far as I see it anyway) it’s a welcome change to the over serious and ego heavy world of rappers, whilst still having that classic style production we can all get on board with to bridge the taste gap.
Top, top notch stuff from a very promising artist that I hope to hear a lot more from in the future. Side note, I can’t see how she’d have many lazy days writing something this good haha. ‘Lazy Days’, get it in you life.
Words; Adam
Available for FREE from
The video for first single Lazy Day is now out
Flo’s EP with heavyweight rapper Dotz is available for free download here
hiphoplifeandtimes 