Gadget – The Dirty Thumbs Project (Album Review)

Artwork by James Greenway

Millennium Jazz founder Gadget has long been a first-rate beatsmith; indeed the East London-residing producer, DJ and emcee displays ineffable wizardry on an MPC and an old-school integrity towards production techniques. His previous solo release ‘Sequences’, though extremely accomplished with its experimental mix of compositional and sampled beats, wasn’t the easiest one to tackle from a reviewer’s perspective seen as it lacked vocals. This time round however, his new release titled ‘The Dirty Thumbs Project’ pulls together a diverse array of top British emceeing and singing talents to lace his lovingly wrought instrumentals.

The album which is produced, mixed and mastered entirely by Gadget, keeps true to the roots of hip-hop whilst meandering through an eclectic blend of organic sounds fresh out the MPC. A selection of boom-to-the-bap beats add a percussive intensity to the weaved-in sonic layers, and a handsome batch of jazzed-out samples give a wonderful throwback feel which defines the sonic identity and dusty analogue steez of his MJM imprint. In comparison to the label’s previous release ‘The Gathering’, there’s a palpable increase in quality, too; indeed ‘The Dirty Thumbs Project’ feels well-oiled and structurally more solid than the label’s collaboration project released earlier in the year.

The album deftly showcases Gadget’s musical skill set and his unostentatious approach to making music. Favouring earthier textures, the album stays consistent and never ill-advisedly veers into the ethereal and abstract for the sake of diversion. Unostentatious, but still full of clout, the album begins with a neck-snapper of the highest order in ‘I Do’ which enlists the straight-faced, hardcore styles of EdXL, Joey Gzus and Innit Records’ founder Beit Nun who unleash their energetic syllabic bursts and straight-up no frills lyricism.

Contrasting to the raw and aggressive dimension is ‘From Where the Love Came’, with its interplay of female vocals from rapper Lady Paradox, who impresses with her lyrics as much as with her prosody, and singer Emma Louise who imparts some gorgeous tones. The soft drum beat and relaxed cool jazz seamlessly harmonise these vocals and contrive to make this one of the album’s stand-out tracks. In a similar jazz mode with its twinkling piano keys is ‘Passing Me By’, a joint featuring Spynal Records duo EdXL and Diligent Fingers who impress with their effortless ability to pen meaningful bars. The production on this also displays a razor-sharp sense of awareness of effective hip-hop and jazz fusion. As a fun deviation from the pervading jazz influence is ‘It’s Not A Good Look’ which is layered with a lively interpolation of North African instrumental sounds features a more playful, upbeat and humourous vibe. Featuring the Scouse vocal inflections of battle extraordinaire Oshea and J Taylor, it leavens the mood and proves that a lighter side to hip-hop is always welcome.

The real stand-out track has to be ‘You Ain’t Ready Yet’, an edgier number interlaced with a plethora of clever rhymes and witty wordplay, featuring freestyle expert LeeN and Croydon-based group The Merkers, the track mixes in street poetics with tantalising abstract shades. The intermittent high-pitched string screeches and minor chords infuse well with the stylistic intensity of the emcees, making for a raw, no-holds barred hip-hop staple. The only real let-down on the album is the incongruous ‘Sinners’, a track on which Telford rhymer and Amass Hegemony’s 777 lets out a stream of heavy invective against the duplicity and deception of the monotheistic faiths. The inflammatory rhetoric combined with a sinister church choir sample set into choppy, angular repetitions doesn’t quite fit into the album’s overall aesthetic and in my opinion, really ought to have been omitted from the album altogether.

Although the album is at times a little uneven, it’s still a very enjoyable wellspring of laid-back jazz-inflected beats, harder hip-hop instrumentals and occasionally eclectic musical flourishes. Indeed from a musical perspective, it is more than accessible to a cross-section of listeners, including those less attuned to hardcore UK hip-hop. The implicit and explicit variations in his tracks also prove that Gadget, as an ardent practitioner of the analogue arts, is also keen to see his style evolve subtly. Fully immersed in the elemental aspects of music production, he is a true, old-style enthusiast who deserves much praise for his contribution not only to hip-hop, but to the underground music scene in general.

Gadget Bandcamp

Twitter @Gadget_MJM

Unseen & Deeflux – 1984 (Album Review)

Cover art by Deus.

Producer and scratch DJ, Louis Unseen hailing from the South West pairs up with Deeflux, an emcee based of Farnborough, Hampshire for a new 12-track project titled 1984, an album not explicitly based on the Orwellian prophecy, but so-named because both artists (and the cover designer) were born on said date.

Based on their creative nous and talent, the duo, who despite remaining perpetual underdogs in the scene, prove themselves worthy of wider-acclaim than most self-aggrandizing, image-obsessed hip-hop artists out there. Not just an emcee, but also a hip-hop producer for 103.7 KaneFM and a linchpin of Holdin’ Court, a popular hip-hop night based in the South East, Deeflux is a fiercely earnest contributor to the culture and art form. Hard-working and infinitely amiable, he humbly personifies the UK hip-hop enthusiast as earthy, analog, unpretentious but also verbally sharp with razor-sharp a wit and an acute understanding of hip-hop fundamentals. Thanks to Unseen, the production on 1984 provides near perfect counterpoints to Deeflux’s honest brand of lyricism; indeed there’s a genuine telepathic harmony between producer and emcee at work here.

Replete with a plethora of samples from a variety of genres spanning reggae, jazz, pop and classic rock, the album also displays a sonic flair often rare among hip-hop artists whose sampling can often be ill-advised and choppy at best. Cognizant of cross-genre musical sensibilities, Unseen is a rare talent, and even with his exuberant genre-melding, he and Deeflux have put together a superbly cohesive collection of tracks; indeed, it sounds as though each track has been crafted into its own theme and narrative.

The mid-tempo, boom-to-the-bap rap aesthetic though rhythmically conservative, is fleshed out enough with neatly comped lyrics and organic real-life themes to lend it immediate warmth and approachability.The subtle variations in song structure and phrasing are simple but effective, and the album’s anthemic hooks are expertly crafted and a real stand-out feature.

The impressive hooks really elevate the level of tracks such as ‘Come Again‘, whose choruses are arched by a beautiful loping singsong, enhancing the sanguine and unconvoluted messages about seizing the day and making the most of life. ‘Freaks United‘, a track spun by a wistful minor-chord guitar loop and multilayered vocal hooks, is a wonderfully poignant ode to society’s misfits: from a nihilistic, feckless tramp to a young girl trapped by her insecurities that are exacerbated by societal expectations. Staying true to the Millenium Jazz imprint, ’Steam‘ with its minimal jazz piano has a similarly melancholic, contemplative feel, enhanced by some wonderfully evocative imagery about the dusty jazz bar in which the narrator sits; from the lingering “tobacco and ale stains” to the deafening “sound of a lonely fly’s wings.“

As a stylistic counterpoint to the more soulful numbers is the edgy, reverb-heavy ‘Cyanide’, a collaboration track featuring some seriously badass cuts by Jabba the Kut. Featuring Genesis Elijah, Millenium Jazz cohort Gadget, and UK hip-hop veteran Dr Syntax, it carries with it some real lyrical clout, with each emcees displaying on-point solid flows amid the ethereal and dark electronic textures.

Overall, 1984 is a welcome indication that, with two creative heads at the helm, underground independent UK hip-hop can go a long way towards being both understated and professional. It’s a compulsively listenable, fully immersive 12-track album made by UK hip-hop artists who ply their trade properly. Support the scene and cop this album.

Download 1984 from Deeflux’s Bandcamp Page

Or, buy a physical copy from Suspect Packages