Fluid Musical Roots - Hydroponic Sound System Grows Grids/Loops/Intersections
Written: Nov 16 '03 (Updated Nov 16 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Good lyrics and production.
Cons: A few too many less than exciting instrumentals.
The Bottom Line: Anything out of the D/FW that’s non-thug/gangsta/crunk/screwed definitely deserves a listen.
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| madtheory's Full Review: Grids/Loops/Intersections - Hydroponic Sound Syste... |
For over a decade the Hip-Hop scene in Dallas/Fort Worth has almost been about to blow up nationally. Almost. Fortunately, it finally appears that a Metroplex-based Hip-Hop act may have found the shot in the arm needed to get this anxious venue over the hump. Forming around the production methodology of Dallas-based producers Jeff Wade a.k.a. Skinny Fresh and Ruben Ayala, the Hydroponic Sound System, is a nebulous collective of musicians, deejays, and emcees repping D/FW, Austin, and as far away as the San Fran Bay Area.
The latest release from Skin and Rube’s newly created Alternate Take Records, Grids/Loops/Intersections stays true to the group’s modus operandi of integrating live instrumentation into rap music. While not exactly a concept in rap music, Hydroponic’s ability to skillfully and creatively blend of animate guitars, horns, winds, drums, and capable lyricism gives the group a distinct musical fingerprint that’s impossible to ignore.
By far, the most dominant performances on Grids/Loops/Intersections involve Dallas native Bavu Blakes. A skilled emcee with a confident presence and effortless rhyme style, his contributions to Grids/Loops/Intersections often sound slightly more polished than the other offerings. Leading off the effort with a remix of “Play the Role,” Bavu crafts a tight funk-imbued discussion of the plight of various wannabes. The tranquility of twilight implied by the airy vibraphone tones wafting over subtle bass undercurrents of “Delirium” perfectly sets the mood for Bavu Blakes’ confession of his obsession with composing lyrics. He describes how the passion for the pen causes him acute insomnia, “bags beneath my eyes and I ain’t packing light/ aight lemme see... how about a real quick line or two or three/ and I’m done, that’s it/ drastic, spastic, tragic, dammit/ man It’s like this? I can’t get no sleep tonight/ every time that I try I feel the need to write/ then I get up and put on a beat that’s tight/ then I hit that pad if I’m tired in the morning, too bad.”
However, the skills of the rest of the HSS are definitely nothing to sneeze at either. Chucky Sly and Grand Supreem break off a bit of Reggae-tinged funk on “Hydro Soundclash,” blending party raps and patois crooning over lush bass guitars and colorful accompaniment. The ominous orchestral strings and raw, live drums of “Static” easily identify it as the album’s representative battle track, a designation that emcees Headkrack and Azeem fulfill completely with their lyrics. Both artists perform well here, but while Headkrack’s archetypal battle delivery make him better suited for this song’s implied malevolence, the slightly calmer Azeem still manages to drop the most memorable punch lines, boasting, “I’ll take your tomorrows away like Caesar with his thumbs down.”
Then Headkrack, MYK, Slickmouth, and Cold Cris come together as Burn Unit to trade bars of mischievous big talk on “Live From the Barbershop.” Spurred on by cheery guitars and impish horn loops, Headkrack flows, “this is to the beat of a song that you made, man/ I bust through the wall grinning like the Kool-Aid Man… she’s not a dime, she’s a nickel, ‘cause you beat her like Penny/ I’m rocking furs through the projects, like cool-a** Lenny!”
Truly, the only place where Grids/Loops/Intersections falters is in the inclusion of the numerous instrumentals. Giving the musicians the opportunity to flex their skills on their own jawns is certainly commendable, but the compositions they actually put together are just not all that interesting. “Funky Disco Go Fed” has an interesting disco- fusion feel, but there’s not much on the song to grip the listener past the song’s novelty. “Open Mic @ The Soular Roller Rink” also shows promise by starting with a high energy scratch-accented loop following the comedic emcee freestyle, but quickly breaks down into a far too relaxed soul-jazz fusion groove.
Despite the flaws, Grids/Loops/Intersections is a very welcome offering for those who have been waiting for Hip-Hop music with more depth than what’s spewed forth by the media outlets. Lyrically Bavu, Headkrack, Azeem, and the rest of the emcee roster are easily as skilled as the most battle-tested emcees from the major coasts, and the talented composition driving the instrument-based production add the dimension that has been steadily disappearing from rap music over the past few years. Hydroponic Sound System might not have put Dallas on the Hip-Hop map yet, but all signs do point to something big in the near future.
Track Listing
01. End of the Beginning
02. Play the Role (Bzzz Mix)
03. Bavu Speaks On Cameroon
04. Hydro Soundclash
05. Static
06. This Just In
07. Funky Disco Go Fed
08. Open Mic @ The Soular Roller Rink
09. Lost and Found
10. Disconnected
11. Delirium
12. Live From the Barbershop
13. Shu Bop Shu Bop
14. Lagos, Michigan (㥐)
15. Family Man
16. Unification Sounds
Recommended:
Yes
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madtheory
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Location: Dallas,TX
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DON'T CALL IT A COMEB... wait. I guess you actually can call it a comeback.
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