Some of you might know BEEZWAX from the 2004 Kemet release "Best Of British" b/w "Metropolitics" with the West London trio ARMS LENGTH - the track was smashed on radio and stages across the country alike but now it's 2008 and time for the producer to shine with his debut album "STING OPERATION"
"Out In The West Records’ production prodigy Beezwax has experienced the urban hustle firsthand in Paris and Berlin before relocating to London. On ‘Sting Operation’, he enlists the cream of aspiring talent from the metropolis to bring vivid and impassioned reportage on the grim realities of the daily struggle for his accomplished and heartfelt debut album.
An impressive roster of the nation’s new generation of lyrical masters heeded the call. Some names, like Taurus, Sick Sense Cru, Keys and Triggs might be new to your ears. Others, such as Kyza, Yungun, Mr Ti2bs, SuparNovar, Genesis Elijah, Stylah or Terra Firma’s Klashnekoff and Skriblah have already cemented their credentials. Those present address the harsh truths of gun crime, poverty, drugs, depression and the temptations borne of desperation in the wasteland of the estates. Yet this is no shallow glorification of violence and money, nor are these bland, sentimental exercises in affected blues or a wallowing in some misplaced self-pity. Commitment in the face of adversity and a proud determination to rise above are the recurrent themes.
The star that shines brightest, though, is Beezwax himself. He is influenced by a wide range of styles including French and German Hip Hop, world music and Drum & Bass. Beezwax blends synth-based beds with organic, melancholy strings and piano motifs into original, wistful and often elegant sonic backdrops. Along the way he impresses with the powerfully moving strings marshalled for Klashnekoff’s ‘All I Got Refix’, the Persian strains of ‘Everything Or Nuthin’ with Genesis Elijah and the insistent harpsichord on ‘English Kids’ featuring Stylah of Poisonous Poets and SuparNovar. He also easily adopts London’s gruff Grime stylings into his beat portfolio on tracks like ‘Jojo’s’ and ‘Pimp Principle’, adding the idiosyncratic sophistication of middle-eastern riffs.
How long can the mainstream summarily dismiss the raw talent or the passionate sentiment bubbling in the British underground? Judging by the skills on display here, a cathartic and revelatory awakening cannot be too far away..."
words by:Ewan H.
Buy the CD album here for £7.99 incl. p&p
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"I got the CD on Friday and have been bumpin it all weekend... it's a fucking banger! I'm loving that shit! Deffo one of the best albums I've heard in a long time! The beats are wicked and the MCs featured are plain ill! I got the Yousendit Mix CD too and it's sick as well! Big props amigo, it's people like yourself who are stopping the scene from going stale or turning into some wack Channel U grime fest... which is the last thing we want, haha."
Lee, Aberdeen
DOWNLOAD IT HERE @ THE NR 1 URBAN MP3 STORE
Sting Operation available from 28.3.2008 in Germany distributed by Groove Attack courtesy of Crownn Recording Group/ Granted Distribution
+ 4 of 6 crowns in JUICE mag + GET URS NOW +
Reviews & Magazine Features 2006/2007
(featured on Sting Operation)
BEEZWAX feat. TAURUS - ON GUARD
(featured on Sting Operation)
BEEZWAX feat. MICKEY STIX AKA KEYS - DEAD STRANGER
(featured on Sting Operation)
BEEZWAX feat. DARKUS - WHAT'S POPPIN'
(Remix on Sting Operation)
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