Dead Players
Self titled LP
Locality Reviews
Dead Players are:
Jam Baxter
Dabbla
Ghosttown
Dead Players comprises of two of London's finest MC's with sharp as razor wits and a flow to match, counterbalance that with the eclectic, sample heavy, "avant-garde" beats from Ghosttown and your left with a psychedelic trip through the minds of hip hops weirdest (in the best possible way) trio. And my god, its quit the trip.
So this collab came to be when Baxter, back in 2010, said publicly the MC he'd "most like to collaborate with" would be Dabbla, who's skills had become widely renowned from his work with LDN Zoo.
Dabbla, hearing the call-out, put the wheels in motion and work on the Dead Players LP began.
Having
worked with both MC's in the past, the choice of who was to produce the
beats for the album was a no-brainer. Ghosttown was the only producer
capable of orchestrating the articulated canvas for both MC to flourish.
With vocals styles being as demanding as they are, a fight for the
listeners attention may have been a crucial obstacle to overcome, but
they have pulled it off effortlessly and the end result is a another
High Focus banger. Soon as the album came through the door it went in
the cd player and hasn't left since. I was
not expecting something so diverse, respecting the roots and culture but
willing to experiment and flip the middle finger to whats
conventional.
Track
one starts off with the sublime orchestral intro accompanied by floaty
high end female vocals whilst Jam Baxter prepares the listener for the
sonic tone change and complex vocal deliverance. Soon as the drums roll
out, the beat and "oohhhhh's" swallow my speakers whole. This intro
track sets the tone perfectly, and is a perfect example of how
effortlessly both MC's can switch up their vocal time to a slower beat
to constantly keep the listener hanging on to the momentum of the track
and thirsty for more. And those drum rolls are immense.
Track two starts off with a pitch-bent sequence of notes that drops into a certified headbanger thats got you fully hooked before Baxter spits his first bar, with an attitude sharp enough to cut your ears and a wit to match. Once quoted as the "new king of rap" by hip hop legend Chester P (Task Force), this song showcases his ability in full motion. With a solid hook and an equally stella performance from Dabbla, this tune is gonna stay with you for a long time....
The beat starts with a slow, almost hypnotic marching style drum accompanied by soulful female vocals and guitar samples. Jam Baxter hits this one solo and executes his ability from his signature lazy style of MC'ing to double time, slowly building and getting faster, only to drop straight back down to where he started.
Badman, track nine on the album is Dabblas time to shine and this is exactly what he does. Fusing the vibes of so many different genres on production not only sets the backdrop for Dabbla's lethal and anthemic lyrics, but also shows how Ghosttown can seamlessly have his fingers in lots of style's but the result will always be innovative and fresh, but still be recognisable . From trap style drums and simple sub, to the dance-hall-esque kicks with a snake charmer twist, this beat literally has it all. Dabbla's fast, intricate flow is, as always, killer and flawlessly executed. A chunky chorus to go with it and you'll be boppin' so hard ya neck will break.
Track two starts off with a pitch-bent sequence of notes that drops into a certified headbanger thats got you fully hooked before Baxter spits his first bar, with an attitude sharp enough to cut your ears and a wit to match. Once quoted as the "new king of rap" by hip hop legend Chester P (Task Force), this song showcases his ability in full motion. With a solid hook and an equally stella performance from Dabbla, this tune is gonna stay with you for a long time....
Ever,
track five on the album was the second single to drop. Directing the
video himself, gives us a great opportunity to delve further into the
mind of Jam Baxter. Dare you look?
The beat starts with a slow, almost hypnotic marching style drum accompanied by soulful female vocals and guitar samples. Jam Baxter hits this one solo and executes his ability from his signature lazy style of MC'ing to double time, slowly building and getting faster, only to drop straight back down to where he started.
The
video switches location for each verse, gradually slipping further into
chaos as each lyric is more tipped-out and twisted as the last. This
all builds to a psychedelic, circus horror climax, a visual and audible
treat and we hope this isn't going to be the last
directional endeavour from Jam Baxter as this was too good.
Badman, track nine on the album is Dabblas time to shine and this is exactly what he does. Fusing the vibes of so many different genres on production not only sets the backdrop for Dabbla's lethal and anthemic lyrics, but also shows how Ghosttown can seamlessly have his fingers in lots of style's but the result will always be innovative and fresh, but still be recognisable . From trap style drums and simple sub, to the dance-hall-esque kicks with a snake charmer twist, this beat literally has it all. Dabbla's fast, intricate flow is, as always, killer and flawlessly executed. A chunky chorus to go with it and you'll be boppin' so hard ya neck will break.
The first single to be released off the album is Yeah and this is
the tune that we think needs the biggest mention. One of our personal favourites but not just due to the lyrical content delivered from both
MC's, but Ghosttowns production skills transforming the roman-gypsie
style accordion sample used into a monster of a beat that I cannot get out of my head.
The video gives an example of a crazy cartoon like world and resembles the sort of stuff Mr Scruff would illustrate after a long night of watching David Firth cartoons. We heard this tune along with the video when it dropped early July and we couldn't get enough....... "YEAH....."
"All I wanna do is get lean with my team, if you know what I mean, say YEAH!!!!
I drink, I puff, I can't get enough and I couldn't give a f*** like YEAH!!!!!"
Once you hear the hook, it's in your head to stay, and if you've seen the video too, you can't help but crack a smile every time you hear the "YEAH...." Every time, without fail.
We decided to review these track as we thought these were our personal favourites. All of this album pushes the boundaries and innovates to the highest level and we highly encourage you to get the pre-order for the album release on the 12th. Links below.
Oh, and massive props to the art direction for this album. A gothic, almost steam punk attire and setting with the right photo filtering give this album the aesthetics you would probably consider a far-cry from the norm in hip hop culture. A bold but very successful (in our opinion) move cause it looks so damn cool.
To close the review, we thought we'd leave you with one of the closing statements from the press pack biography sent to us by High Focus as it perfectly describes the trio. Big up High Focus for sending us another banger.
"The result? A fellowship so colourful the UK hip hop will celebrate it's inception for years to come, but moreover, an outfit that looks set to span a wide spectrum of genres and movements with the music they make. Dead Players have written and recorded an album that equally suited for a Tuesday evening barbecue with your obese Mother to a Friday night SUPER RAVE. It really doesn't matter; you could be on a sinking P&O ferry or playing strip croquet with Zsa Zsa Gabor, the sheer music dexterity on display is a times, game changing.
Just ask them yourself. Go find them. They're about. Dabbla is currently in traffic on Holloway Road, smoking a fist shaped zuggy, Baxter is at Glastonbury (still) and Ghosttown is on Regent Central watching his dog terrorizing EVERYTHING."
The video gives an example of a crazy cartoon like world and resembles the sort of stuff Mr Scruff would illustrate after a long night of watching David Firth cartoons. We heard this tune along with the video when it dropped early July and we couldn't get enough....... "YEAH....."
"All I wanna do is get lean with my team, if you know what I mean, say YEAH!!!!
I drink, I puff, I can't get enough and I couldn't give a f*** like YEAH!!!!!"
Once you hear the hook, it's in your head to stay, and if you've seen the video too, you can't help but crack a smile every time you hear the "YEAH...." Every time, without fail.
We decided to review these track as we thought these were our personal favourites. All of this album pushes the boundaries and innovates to the highest level and we highly encourage you to get the pre-order for the album release on the 12th. Links below.
Oh, and massive props to the art direction for this album. A gothic, almost steam punk attire and setting with the right photo filtering give this album the aesthetics you would probably consider a far-cry from the norm in hip hop culture. A bold but very successful (in our opinion) move cause it looks so damn cool.
To close the review, we thought we'd leave you with one of the closing statements from the press pack biography sent to us by High Focus as it perfectly describes the trio. Big up High Focus for sending us another banger.
"The result? A fellowship so colourful the UK hip hop will celebrate it's inception for years to come, but moreover, an outfit that looks set to span a wide spectrum of genres and movements with the music they make. Dead Players have written and recorded an album that equally suited for a Tuesday evening barbecue with your obese Mother to a Friday night SUPER RAVE. It really doesn't matter; you could be on a sinking P&O ferry or playing strip croquet with Zsa Zsa Gabor, the sheer music dexterity on display is a times, game changing.
Just ask them yourself. Go find them. They're about. Dabbla is currently in traffic on Holloway Road, smoking a fist shaped zuggy, Baxter is at Glastonbury (still) and Ghosttown is on Regent Central watching his dog terrorizing EVERYTHING."
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