Media Matters: Orchestras á la mode

 This feature can also be found at the South West Londoner, here.

This year's Proms are going to be taking an interesting turn, with the introduction of the Urban Classic Prom.

It stands out as a unique event for the Royal Albert Hall show, bringing the classical flavour of the BBC Symphony Orchestra with the grime, hip-hop and soul inclusions of Fazer (a former member of N-Dubz), Laura Mvula and Maverick Sabre.

But will the marriage of styles be well received by the general public? Not that I don't think it should, but because the Proms are often thought of as something of a musical sacred ground.

Last year's Prom was rather straight-laced, sticking almost entirely to orchestra and operatic work, though taking both vintage and modern pieces. To that end, infusing another genre, especially one that's often (unfairly) considered as non-compatible with high-class concerts, may be contentious.

This concern is shared by Jules Buckley, the concert conductor, but he remains confident that the audience can be as unified as the music. This has me more interested in the Prom than I have been in a long time.

There have been experimental acts in the past (Yo-Yo Ma's collaboration with the BBC Symphony Orchestra in 2011 is a good example), and there was a Bollywood number in 2009, but the Urban Classic Prom is a genre first for the event.

Experimentations with genre are some of the most fascinating things you can do with music. For a major event like the Proms, they have a perfect platform to introduce the idea that blurring the lines of genre can be something worthy of a high-class performance.

On the flipside, those who find the orchestra scene difficult to access can also become acquainted to new horizons - collisions of subculture genres with classical music have been tried before to some great effect.

G. Prokofiev/Concerto for Turntables and Orchestra is an album exactly like what it sounds. Released in 2010, turntablist DJ Yoda turns a performance from the Heritage Orchestra into a beat-juggled masterpiece, using the beat making sensibilities that have served high quality hip-hop for decades.

It's a fairly major part of the urban music scene to go to complex lengths to create music tracks - and the very best uses inventive source material.

As a classic example, the 'Amen Break' is an incredibly well-known sample used across all different genres and social scenes, and it all spawned from a funk/soul joint from 1969.

The current pop and hip-hop music industries have adopted the sounds of 'chiptune', the bleeps and boops that formed the soundtracks of games from the 70s to the 90s. We hear them now in tracks from Labrinth to Ke$ha to Crystal Castles. Many hip-hop tunes use direct samples, and an entire genre has recently formed from the marriage of rap and video game music.

A lot of this kind of sampling and genre experimenation happened back when hip-hop and electronic music was still 'underground', not garnering so much attention and money. These days we have Daft Punk and Kanye West – big names in sampling. Now, remixes and mash-ups are a major part of musical expression (although sometimes lawyers disagree.) 

With the Proms, we have a major musical event that heavily features a celebration of historically famous material. The Urban Classic Prom is more than sampling; it's a direct collaboration between styles, eras and cultures. It holds the potential for being just so... rich and interesting.

In fact, it's not the only musical mash-up that will appear at the Prom this year - The Stranglers, a punk band, will be playing with the London Sinfonietta on 12 August. My knowledge of Punk’s musical history is rather lacking, but I don’t doubt they’ll do it service.

Details and tickets for Urban Classical Prom are available here and information on The Stranglers performing with the Sinfonietta is available here.

Chiddy Bang - Breakfast

This review can also be found at The Yorker (whoops, I overlooked mirroring this one...)

It's been a while since I listened to an album with honestly interesting sampling. One of the things I love about hip-hop (and music inspired by such) is beat-making in original ways. A lot of instrumental hip-hop goes heavy on the piano and brass samples, which are excellent, though not as common as it used to be.

©Regal

Thankfully, Chiddy Bang's Breakfast, the duo's first full album after a mixtape in 2010, has funky and creative beats from the start. The intro is a cute little soundscape with piano backing that reminds me strongly of Nicolay's work. But that's contrasted hard with 'Breakfast', the punchiest discussion of a mealtime you'll ever hear with booming 808s and a solid demonstration of Chiddy's rap skills - clear and rhythmic without resorting to painful half-rhymes or hashtag rapping.

Beat-wise, 'Handclaps & Guitars' is what is says on the tin, with this weird Owl City-ish chorus, and 'Mind Your Manners' has an odd but catch voice sample from Icona Pop's 'Manners' (which may prove grating for some) and a sweet-as switch in the beat at 1:43.

'Ray Charles' was one of the Singles for this album; definitely a solid choice. It might be a bit of an unfortunate choice for Chiddy to compare himself to the famous jazz pianist based around just his shades-wearing habits and weed consumption - but the track as a whole sticks to its amusing and silly theme.

'Does She Love Me?' has its groove set firmly in a romantic sentiment from its opening bar, and it's by far my favourite track on the album. The the quiet synth chords and the ooohing chorus is an aural dream come true, juxtaposed by lyrics about romantic frustrations, just in case you were tempted to think Chiddy Bang has gone soft.

Things slow down a little after this point. The beat to 'Run it Back' struggles to compete with 'Does She Love Me?', although the chiptune aspects to it interesting (if outclassed by a later track I'll get to). Out 2 Space doesn't do it for me, alas. It's just lacks a catchy element, though the space-y feel is spot on.

There's a seemingly out-of-place Interlude for track 10, but its melody gels with the following track, 'Talking to Myself', which has a solid bassline groove coupled with violin plucks and a light piano, of all things. However, that pales in comparison to the penultimate track, 'Baby Roulette'.

It competes for the accolade of 'best track' with 'Does She Love Me?', losing out just slightly. It's slow, goofy beat is heavily chiptune based, and would find a happy home in an episode of Adventure Time, strangely paired with a rap about avoiding university pregnancy. The chorus cracks me up ("I hope you know that I'm for real / My love is super-sized, ain't no Happy Meal"), and the whole thing just puts a smile on my face. It's a shame then, that it's followed by one of the most boring tracks on the album, '4th Quarter'. It's loud and repetitive, and could have been removed entirely to give Breakfast a way stronger ending.

Chiddy Bang definitely impress with their fun sampling and use of chiptune, and Chiddy's rapping is well-crafted with a neat habit of staying in theme with the track's title. The general content doesn't go much further beyond discussing marijuana and sleeping with pretty ladies; but I can forgive that - not all hip-hop has to be politically inspired, and either way Breakfast is very refreshing. Consume it today.

Labrinth - Electronic Earth

This review can also be found at The Yorker, here.
 
In terms of image, at least, I like Labrinth. he's adorkable. His most salient single, 'Earthquake' is something that everyone's going to remember, and Electronic Earth rides that out in a few ways; in songs with similar beats, in its choice in guest rappers, and just by having 'Earthquake' show up repeatedly.

Staring track 'Climb on Board' surprised me by being above and beyond my expectations garnered from 'Earthquake'. It demonstrates that Labrinth has some decent vocal ideas; a sweet balance between traditional voice harmonies and piano riffs with light touches of electronic pitch warbling and a club synth that's not too obnoxious. It's a strong starter, but it's followed with 'Last Time' which unfortunately doesn't balance itself at all. The synth and voice distort come on way too strong, and although it doesn't necessarily place the track firmly in the 'bad' category, it feels generic.

'Express Yourself' is wonderfully charming - I have a soft spot for songs that utilise unexpected samples. At first blush it seems like too much of a straightforward lift of the original track, but let it get to the chorus, and it blossoms into a punchy and cheery variation, retaining the brass. Venture even further and it switches into a new rhythm - pleasantly summery in nature. I only wish it were longer.
Skip over 'Beneath Your Beautiful' - it's that painfully generic ballad song where the artist gets to demonstrate their vocal range a little better, and the chorus ends with "...tonight.". It drops a drumline after the first verse, but it couldn't save me from dry-heaving.

'Sundown' sticks in my mind for its low, slightly sludgy bass, but then the lyrics are eye-rolling. She's a nymphomaniac! I get to have sex with her every day constantly! Feel jealous! Then again, if I can enjoy Tyler the Creator's 'She' for its beat despite its unsettling subject matter, then I can definitely give this one a pass, and you definitely can too.

Following the general club vibe of the rest of the album, I wasn't expecting 'T.O.P.'s lead in to sound like a track from a Dragon Quest game. It doesn't maintain it through the song, but it's a nice touch.
'Earthquake' runs three versions on this album. The first version is the Radio Edit, and you've most likely heard it already. Tinie Tempah impresses me in how he manages to have none of his lines rhyme. The second version, set towards the end has additional guest verses from Kano, Wretch 32 and Busta Rhymes. It's nice to see Kano show up again and Busta's bars are wonderfully aggressive and way more deserving of the whole "just smash something" hook.

The last version of 'Earthquake', a remix by Noisia and the final track on the album and and arguably the most accurate to the track title. The remix is more garage than dubstep, which some might find a little disappointing, but it definitely stands on its own. If only it had the Busta Rhymes verses to go with it.

I'm not the authority on what makes a good début album, but I think Labrinth has made some smart decisions here. While yes, Electronic Earth is extending the mileage out of a song that could easily be argued as overplayed, it manages to offer songs you'll return to after you're done throwing bombs on it.

The Language of Hip-Hop: A Lot More Than 'Ass'

This article was done for the Phonograph, can be found here.

Okay, so we live in a world where Big Sean can release a song called “Ass”, where the lyrics consist mostly of just that word. Granted, if you’ve been paying attention to Top-40s hip-hop for the past couple of years you would have already experienced The Black Eyed Peas‘ “I’mma Be”, but that hasn’t saved me from the bemusement I feel regarding “Ass” being a song that actually exists.

For those who were on the opposing side of the Rock vs. Rap petty dichotomy during the 90s and early 2000s, the stupidity of “Ass” is something ‘expected’ for the world of Hip-Hop. At surface level (i.e. that awful club you and your friends go to, you know the one), Rap and Hip-Hop exclusively consist of self-aggrandizing and partying hard; designed to move your feet, but not move you.

Of course, that’s never been the whole story Hip-Hop as an initial concept was heavily focused in telling stories of day-to-day life and struggles; but very little of that sentiment seems to escape outside the bubble of long-established fans of the genre. It only takes a little digging to strike a vein of honest insight and clever topics packaged up in dope rhymes and sick beats.

Taking on the idea that a lot of old-school Hip-Hop had an aim to inform – it might not be too out there to think of some works as educational. And why not? Just because the information imparted is set to some 808s doesn’t mean that it’s not valid. I don’t see there being a University course entitled “Hip-Hop and Philosophical Theory” any time soon (though I would definitely take it if such a thing existed); but academic insight can become apparent in unlikely ways.

I’m presently doing a linguistics degree, my personal area of interest is Language and Identity. Consider for a moment, the concept of ‘Authenticity’. It’s where you (consciously or otherwise) affect your speech so something about you is more obvious to the people you’re speaking to. I for one, take pride in my Londoner accent. And upon listening to “Country Cousins” by Talib Kweli, he became a really good example for me to cite:

I walk and talk kinda fast and thought of as a New York kinda rhymer

But most New Yorkers got family in South and North Carolina

L.A. is ‘Little Alabama’

They walk and they talk with a country grammar

And you think everybody else sound country

So they started callin’ ‘em ‘Bamas

It’s not every day that you’d expect someone to spit lyrics about sociolinguistics, but more than that, it’s something interesting and relevant.

Lupe Fiasco definitely has a corner marked out for sending a message, his second album, The Cool, was all about how a careless pursuit of a gangsta lifestyle, the titular Cool, was nothing but destructive. Not that you would know that from listening to the single that made it to the radio, “Superstar” struggled to pull that kind of sentiment.

Even with his most recent album, Lasers, the public saw Lupe at his self-confessed low-point – “The Show Goes On” was not the kind of story he wanted to tell. Instead, the cleverest track was buried away as a Bonus track – “I’m Beamin’”:

You see I hood a lot, and yeah I nerd some

Hood’s where the heart is, nerd’s where the words from

Don’t represent either, because I merged them

While I can’t relate to a self-hype song about fat stacks of cash, I can definitely feel where Lupe’s coming from when he says he’s never stopped being a nerd, and how that’s never held him back in anything. It’s a message that a younger me really could have done with. Maybe not in the same way that Tupac’s “Keep Ya Head Up” and its messages about respecting women (why wasn’t any of that taken on board?); but still a sentiment worth hearing.

What’s more, I definitely need to give credit to indie hip-hop; running parallel to the grimy rap battle scene that was rendered as oh-so-glamorous in 8 Mile (ahem), are the artists heading for the socio-political angle. Since, deep-down rapping was never too distant from Beat Poetry, entirely powered by heartfelt social commentary. Take, for example, Akala, and his track “Find No Enemy”

But I don’t even believe my own prayers like you,

Chasing career going nowhere like you,

Lost in a fog of my own insecurities I hold myself up as a image of purity,

And I judge everybody else by the colour of their skin or the size of their wealth

But it’s not good for my health as the only one I ever really judge is my self

His flow goes everywhere, from social standings to self-reflection to what it means to be “urban”. He accepts and vocalises his flaws, and he really comes across as human and an equal. That it’s backed up with some deft lyricism and an arguably unusual choice of alternative rock instrumental style makes a track like this memorable; and the messages he imparts along with it.

The scope of socially-conscious and educated artists out there is vast, way more than I can reasonably describe here. So to give a starting point to those who want to find out more (and to hopefully appease the Hip-Hop fans whose favourite artists I’ve missed), give these a try:

Shad – Question Marks

Kenyan-born and living in Canada, Shad’s début album When This is Over is packed full of personal insight. “Question Marks” stands out as a favourite, a downtempo piece discussing the nature of God from a Christian perspective, and how the Bible is interpreted. It’s not necessarily an opinion I can agree with, but he makes a fair case.

Del tha Funkee Homosapien – Del’s Nightmare

Ever heard “Clint Eastwood” by the Gorillaz? Many people heard about Del that way, though he was also part of the rap group Heiroglyphics, and did a concept album as Deltron 3030 about cyberpunk cities (a must-listen for any Sci-Fi fan). His 1998 album,Future Development has “Del’s Nightmare” discussing 1850s slavery, and then making a sarcastic comparison to the music industry. Cheeky, but thought-provoking.

Khaled M -  Can’t Take Our Freedom

Previously interviewed on The Phonograph, Khaled M is a Libyan-born rapper, and an activist in Libyan politics, using his music to reach out to youths, and those who otherwise wouldn’t know the problems going on. His collaboration with Lowkey, “Can’t Take Our Freedom” is punchy and motivational, and made a significant contribution to the revolution.

Pete Philly & Perquisite – Hope

This duo from Amsterdam brought a lot of Jazz and Soul elements into their Hip-Hop beats; Perquisite is an accomplished cellist and regularly used entire string sets in his work. In the track “Hope” from the album Mindstate they team up with Talib Kweli to discuss that, although politics and businesses can be corrupt or greedy, the public still has the ability and the spirit to not just take things as given and work towards better.

Hip-Hop as a genre isn’t confined to being disposable party anthems, nor does it only exist as a soapbox for rappers. There are definitely days where I will put on Notorious B.I.G’s“One More Chance” and giggle like a schoolboy at how he has a 4-minute song entirely about his penis. But the more thought-provoking songs and artists out there could do with more time in the mainstream spotlight, so we can all have more social analysis, and less “Ass”.

Singles' Club: Review Compilation

These singles reviews are taken from assorted articles found at the Yorker. Reviews are ordered from earliest to most recent.

Lupe Fiasco – The Show Goes On
The recent fad of rappers (and wannabe rappers) producing club tunes to hit the top 40 has been really successful, but rather irritating. It's disappointing that Lupe Fiasco's stellar lyricism and less egoistic tone is wasted on the autotune-tinged chorus and "party all night" theme. The beat feels like it was made for T-Pain or Flo Rida instead of Lupe, but I can't hate the Modest Mouse sample and catchy brass.

Wiz Khalifa - Black and Yellow
Let it be known: catchy beats will always save mediocre rapping. 'Black and Yellow' isn't an exotic song; the beat's nothing especially creative, but the simple synth melody that's like an artillery of music boxes is somehow hummable, danceable, and easy to rap over all at once. Wiz Khalifa's rapping is inoffensive, but boils down to a kid showing off his shiny new car to girls. It's entirely forgettable - a remix featuring Snoop Dogg and (ugh) T-Pain replace Wiz with no detriment.

Far East Movement ft. Frankmusic - 'Do it in the AM'
Having already released songs about things that don't actually exist (there's no such thing as a 'G6'; the plane is called a 'G4'), Far East Movement prove that they don't even need logical metaphors. You would guess that what they're doing 'in the AM' is in a quick-and-dirty in a nightclub bathroom, but lyrics like 'Last one's in, first one's out / Baby we ain't the crowd' makes the implication... kinda sleazy. Frankmusic's beat-juggle at the end saves this one.

Big Sean feat. Kanye West & Roscoe Dash - Marvin & Chardonnay
The unknown that is Big Sean relies on Kanye West as a saving grace; though unless he's rapping about his personal life - Kanye's flow is... pretty awful. No, this is not "The F***in' Anthem" in any context. And as for the beat - we have a reasonable string intro before being dumped into what sounds like a tuba player jumping on a rusty trampoline. I'll take some actual Marvin Gaye over this, thanks.

Labrinth feat. Tinie Tempah – Earthquake
Listening to it sober, what comes across is just how... entirely acceptable it is. This is definitely the Average Party Anthem of cheap nightclubs for the season - but the beat is nowhere near aggressive enough for the smashing and moshing it asks of its listeners. However, the acapella for the bridge is cute in how out-of-place it is.

Listening to it drunk, though? Amazing tune, love it.

Beyoncé - Party
Her diva personality may grate on some, but I feel that Beyoncé's vocal quality far outstrips her attitude outside the music studio. 'Party' has a rubbery and easy-groovin' synth bassline with lyrics simple enough for me to sing along and annoy the housemates. André 3000 offers a rap verse of quality that the Waynes and Wests wish they could produce.

Side note: The music video version of 'Party' has a different guest rapper - J. Cole - who is... nowhere near as good. Why did they do that?

Bonus Single Review! Beyoncé - Countdown
Agressive brass in R&B and Hip-Hop is nothing revolutionary, but I enjoy it. It feels a little too busy here, especially compared to the straightforwardness of 'Party'. I'm not sure if I'm feelin' the staccato-filled chorus, either. At the very least, the music video looks great; Beyoncé's so cute in a turtleneck!

Lupe Fiasco - Lasers

I'm a firm believer in giving new albums a chance. Maybe it's because there are enough annoyingly vocal people on the Internet yelling "This new album is different to the others so it SUCKS." Or maybe it's because I get funny looks from my friends when I say I like Muse's The Resistance as much as their earlier stuff. But I am compelled to keep an open mind when new tunes are released by the artists I like.

And I won't front in that regard; I love Lupe Fiasco. When I heard that his new album (and potentially final one, if his desire to only release his mixtape and 3 albums holds true) was in production, I decided to not spoil myself until it was released. I eventually caved, and listened to his single, 'The Show Goes On' and...
It was different, so I kind of hated it. And then felt bad for my sentiment. But no matter how I sliced it, the more 'top 40 rap song' beat wasn't what I looked for in Lupe, and it disappointed me. But on the other hand, it increased my hope that the album would be really varied in style.

As it turned out, that turned out to be exactly the truth. Lasers has been split neatly in two - almost to the degree where I'm starting wonder if it's intentional. The first half boasts almost all the musical tropes I can't stand: a male, boorish backing of "Oh oh ohs" on ‘Letting Go’, the flat, half-singing on ‘Till I Get There’ (though the lyrics for the verses are incredibly clever), and upon listening to a few forgettable others and getting to ‘Beautiful Lasers’, you're pelted with a full-on auto-tune chorus.

But then, ‘Coming Up’ happened. Leading in with a neat and simple piano riff, the beat dropped with a big helping of synth strings, and suddenly everything flashed back to early 2000s R&B. The sudden change was incredibly relieving, but my pessimistic side expected it to be a fluke. This was followed up with ‘State Run Radio’, which solidly proved me wrong. The cute radio-tuning sound effects and cheesy rock guitar melody made me think of a more mature-sounding Gym Class Heroes (that's not a bad thing, I promise).

‘BREAK THE CHAIN’ (capitalisation theirs) goes on a '90s club bent with a drum loop that almost made me fall out of my chair. Sway features as a guest rapper, and part of me was happy to know that the British lyricist hadn't entirely faded into obscurity.

‘Never Forget You’ and ‘Shining Down’ are somewhat weaker, not quite demonstrating the musical or lyrical style of the tracks preceding them; but ‘All Black Everything’ and ‘I'm Beamin’’ shine through as the best tracks on the album, delivering some incredible lines. They're great concepts; and exactly what I love about Lupe.

Lasers may be bifurcated in its musical quality, but Lupe Fiasco's rapping skills and meaningful lyrics definitely haven't dulled. And in time, I can grow to accept, maybe even enjoy the more mainstream first half. Though I'll never grow to like auto-tune. Jay-Z was pretty off in his predictions.

This article has also been hosted on The Yorker. You can find it here.