Daily Archives: September 5, 2011
Quest Rah – Ancient Tapes Volume 2 – The Lost Art (Review)
Make you check out Quest Rah’s follow-up to his 2008 release. It’s a well-produced sixteen track affair that is without a doubt his best work to date. He seems to have really upped his game and has also enlisted the help of producers that are fairly unknown but are really good with it. UK Hip-Hop veterans The Planets feature and give up a beat too, but it’s actually Quest Rah’s production on this project that I like the most. ‘Legend Of A Fighter’ and ‘5th Element’ are both classy cuts, but there’s so many highlights on this mixtape it’s really not worth going into major detail. There’s a few tracks on here that I think could have been dropped to make the project more concise, but hey, why pick flies when everyone else in the UK seems to be still rapping about their ‘endz’ or ‘murking a man’. LOL! Quest Rah ‘Ancient Tapes Volume 2 – The Lost Art’ is available now from Quest Rah’s Bandcamp page at http://quest-rah.bandcamp.com.
Review by Stu Patterson
Free beats from ‘Hypomanic Productions’
“The beats sound great..” says Pete Maher, sound engineer for U2′s Achtung Baby and label Universal.
‘Hypomanic Productions’ is a talented handful of individuals crusading to promote UK Hip Hop instilled with positivity, aiming to revitalise a genre blighted by negative stereotypes, recycled rhymes and bland beats. This collective recognises the universal truth that music has the potential to reach out to people, and can be used as a tool for personal and professional growth.
The inspiration behind this project came when group member ‘Miss Tofelees’ came across an article by the National Youth Agency about artwork with NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training). ‘Miss Tofelees’, a prominent member, believes music has the power to engage those who feel excluded or alienated, from all walks of life, by providing alternative modes of expression.
The group is moving toward releasing beats over the coming year, starting from September 2011. In return for signing up for free to the website, you’ll get the chance to use them for whatever you like. The beats will be available freely to anybody with a creative flair: vocalists, lyricists and DJs alike.
There’s no catch, and you won’t be spammed with useless information. All we ask is you credit ‘Hypomanic Productions’ in your work.
The beat show reel attached contains exclusive previews to both the latest and finest the collective has to showcase. Bursting at the seams with soul and swagger, it’s hard not to be hypnotized by the nostalgia-tinged vibe that runs throughout the groups work. Brass meets bass as ‘Hypomanic’ merges the music of the past and the present, to create what they see as the future of Hip Hop. This showcase is testimony not only to the raw talent of the group itself, but also the inspiration it offers to those attempting to raise their profile in the industry, or just express themselves creatively.
They also want to know your opinions on what they have to offer. We encourage feedback from anybody with an opinion, whether you write bars in your bedroom or you’re a fully fledged star! So be sure to leave feedback, as it is always appreciated.
For now, the place to get in touch with the group is:
miss.tofelees@yahoo.co.uk
Website details and all relevant links coming soon!
Hypomanic Productions offers a new and exciting take on Hip Hop. After years of hard work they now have something to show for it, music with a message. Music that changes lives, bringing with it a breadth of individuality whilst rejecting the increasingly stagnant trends in Hip Hop culture.
Liam Hedley & Luke Gibbs for Hypomanic Productions.
Edited by Luke Butler
Hypomanic Productions six free beats showreel
http://www.sendspace.com/pro/zi2vwy
