INTERESTING BLENDS

Hip Hop. It’s one of those genres isn’t it? Like Baskin Robbins it’s got a flavour for everyone. Yet out of all the genres out there it’s possibly the one that’s most likely to polarise opinion.

Some people love classic 90’s golden era hip hop, some people sit firmly in the indie Hip Hop camp, some people love “Hip Pop” style R’n’B beat driven rap. Some go for the vocal less instrumental, or Trip Hop variation. It’s literally one of those genres where you can’t please everyone, yet so many people compromise their vision trying to do just that, and end up with music that shows it’s not what they are really about.

The other thing about hip hop is that it’s so rare to get a decent album. Sure some people make a great track but keeping the listener interested over an entire album is really difficult, and I can think of only a few albums that really hold up for me within the genre.

So when I first got this album I thought “sounds promising will probably have a couple of decent tracks on it” but will probably file under DJ fodder and go back to it in a few months.

I was wrong.

Because the duo that stands on both sides of the pond, Pimpernel Jones is from the UK and Simple X is from Chicago, have decided to stick to their guns and make a Hip Hop album they wanted to hear first and foremost and without bowing to expectations. The fact they love what they are doing really shines through in the quality of their debut album “Synchromystic” and album that genuinely flows from the opening stanza of Chapel Perilous to the closing B-movie beats of “Psycke out”.

Their love of sample based production is clear to hear from the off, but unlike so many producers it never dominates their music to the point of making it one dimensional, added to this they jump their production styles quickly but smoothly, never lingering in one place long enough for it become another “DJ Premier” or “DJ Shadow” rip off. Obviously you can hear the influences are in there, but there isn’t any point on this album where you feel they are just copying the Hip Hop manual.

Yes it does sit in the indie hop hop category, and MC track wise it probably leans more towards the lazy UK styling’s of the Nextmen, Skitz and the Herbalisers work in the beats they choose to place MC’s over. And it’s nice to hear US & UK MC’s equal billing,

Stand out tracks for me, although it’s hard as the album is programmed so well it feels like it was literally recorded in a totally linear fashion, are probably “Eye”, “Space to Breathe feat Rider Shafique”, “Snap Scale feat Green T” and “Circle of Destiny”, but I can’t reiterate enough how good an album listen this is.

On top of all that the generous lads have provided a free downloadable track to tempt you in – and it will it’s that good: Pimp Rocker follow the link listen – give them your e-mail and download it – full 320 quality as well, and it’s certainly not a throw away track that didn’t quite make it.

The Album is out on the July the 12th via First Word Records, and comes with amazing packaging by the legendary “Remi Roughe” that’s so nice you’ll want to hang it on your wall.

Herma Puma – Space to Breathe

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Herma Puma – Pimp Rocker

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www.firstwordrecords.com
http://www.myspace.com/hermapuma