Review of ‘After the Bum Rush’ album by Ambrose Chappel and iKashflo on Romeda Records

 
I love this album, it has an excellent vibe from a solid hip hop groove which is interwoven with funky, synth pop, techno and chiptune elements. It’s an infectious groove, you’ll soon be nodding your head and/or tapping your feet. There’s solid rapping which often contrasts with more laid back vocals. The production is excellent, there’s layering of elements such as scratching, pitched vocals and sound effects resulting in the album having a modern sound yet old-school feel at the same time.

Time and Time Again
This song opens with a recording taken outside walking to unlock a car leading into a great groove with drums and bass and pitched vocals. A laid back hip hop groove, the scratching and organ add great elements.

Pump up The Jam
A piano riff to open creates another solid groove with drums which leads into rapping contrasting with more laid back singing. Excellent layering again with scratching and spoken ‘mmm’ which acts like a bassline.

Freak
This song has more of a techno feel from the bassline and drumming. There’s a great contrast between rapping and vocals which have a funky feel. Great sound effects too.

City of Sin
There’s an urgency to the opening riff which creates an excellent groove with the drumming. Great rapping again, nice changes in feel and great layering of sound effects and scratching.

For Sure
An uptempo feel to the opening with bassline, drumming and rapping leading into another solid groove with excellent processing on the vocals.

Places to Go (feat. Lauren Randle)
An excellent bass to open leading into rapping. The song has a ‘purple hills’ kind of feel but also a funky, almost reggae feel. Lauren’s vocals add an excellent element.

Without Your Clothes
An excellent synth riff to open leading into harmonised vocals. Drumming builds and is given momentum by the bass. Great rapping contrasts with more laid back harmonised vocals.

Ricochet
Scratching to open leads into a laid back groove with a riff which has a great sound somewhere between a muted plucked string and a muted steel drum. Excellent rapping again.

Microphone Assassin
Great sound effect to open, the song has a funky groove and a videogame type of sound. Excellent rapping again with some great processing.

My Monika
A piano riff to open accompanied by slightly distorted organ chords gives a great tension. The song has a laid back feel with a really soulful vibe and the solo guitar adds a great element.

Get High
This song has a chiptune kind of feel to the opening leading into a solid groove from a fat bassline and uptempo rapping.

Thanks to Her
This song has a great uptempo groove and a very funky bassline. There’s a nice change in feel between the uptempo rapping and softer harmonised vocals.

My Moves
A synth brass riff to open with rapping leads into a groove with a heavy bass feel. There’s some excellent scratching and well layered background sounds.

Pick It Up
Another uptempo song which has an almost reggae / two-tone feel at times with the chord vamp. Solid rapping again with a nice change of feel to the harmonised vocals.

Stimulization
A funky organ riff to open, with uptempo rapping leads into a solid groove with a funky vibe, there’s great scratching and background sounds too.

 
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