STING OPERATION Reviews:
BLUES & SOUL
Recently arrived on these shores after a childhood in Paris and a sojourn in the Berlin underground, Beezwax has wasted no time hooking-up with some of London’s most respected road rhymesmiths for a stark and impressive debut.
Documenting the daily “struggle with Leviathan†and examining the alternative interpretations of the term “strapped for cash†are such luminaries as Yungun, Genesis Elijah, Stylah, Suparnovar, Mr Ti2bs and The Extremists, not to mention all three members of the fearsome Terra Firma infantry. It’s not hard to see how Beezwax garnered support of such calibre: he has a canny ear for a melancholy string or piano riff, and isn’t afraid to flip an original and inventive Middle-Eastern sample over a grimy beat or two if occasion demands.
Indeed, his production nous sometimes outshines the lyrical delivery of some of his collaborators, and retains the attention when the somewhat depressive, albeit worthy, tales of sufferation in the estates show signs of lacking thematic variety. When it works, though, it really goes for the cardiac: the string-laden refix of Klashnekoff’s ‘All I Got’ is nothing short of masterful, and ‘Everything Or Nuttin’ blends some great Persian stylings with Genesis Elijah’s stream of urban consciousness. (E.H)
HIP HOP CONNECTION
Taste of honey. Producer-led sets are increasingly becoming ten a penny - with the inevitable decline in quality control that entails - so it's good to find Beezwax bucking the trend. The veteran of hip-hop scenes in Paris, Berlin and now London packs a certain continental savoir-faire that's not easily bottled. Over a broad base of bubbling backdrops he elicits some great vocals from the likes of Klashnekoff, Mr Ti2bs, The Extremists and a career high from the still underrated Genesis Elijah that's the honeycomb centre on a debut bursting with natural goodness. (Barry Sugarman)
TOUCH MAGAZINE
Producer Beezwax has spent time in both Paris and Berlin and, though now living in London, his sound is often (though not always) a world away from the minimalist Primo copies that sometimes characterises the UK scene. Full and melodic, it can switch from the jazzy piano of Heaven And Hell to the Eurhythmics sample of What’s Poppin’. The MCs are the usual roll call of London underground, with Klashnekoff, Mr Ti2bs and The Extremists being the most recognisable, though newcomer Kasha excels even while sounding very like Skinnyman. Sting Operation is a notably rich experience, with very little flab in its one hour running time.
BIG SMOKE
Out In The West Records’ production Prodigy Beezwax has been influenced by French and German Hip Hop and Drum & Bass. He blends synth-based beds with organic, melancholy strings and piano motifs into original, wistful and often elegant sonic backdrops, for example ‘If I Ever Leave Feat The Extremists’, sick track. The LP features Klash, Skriblah, Ti2bs, Kyza, Yungun, SuparNovar to name a few. With the line up above and seriously original beats this is a sick LP, check it ASAP, especially Klash’s ‘All I Got Refix’.
FAST CAR
French-born/German-raised producer Beezwax enlists the help of some of the UK’s fi nest MCs for his debut album. With its Eurythmics sample, What’s Poppin steals the show, but there are 16 tracks of fresh rhymes over electronic beats with a classical twist. Check it out!
BLACK CLOUDS b/w ON GUARD Reviews:
UKHH.COM
The second single from Beezwax comes in quick succession from the last, showing his intent to build a real hype towards his forthcoming long player "Sting Operation". With the strength of this single behind him too, the hype should be reaching fever pitch any time soon!!
"Black Clouds" shows Beezwax's production in the best possible light. It's one of those melancholic violin loops which makes your hairs stick up on your arm, gets me every time! Drafting in the superb Skriblah to bless this beautiful production is a masterstroke too, as Mr. Skribble's voice and emcee persona are made to measure for this kind of track. "On Guard" uses a recognisable piano loop for West London emcee Taurus to bless, but whilst this track is solid, it can't find a way out of the shadow cast by the monumental a-side. Although he does drop the line "Armitage Shanks couldn't handle this shit" which is the best line I've heard for a while haha!
Beezwax is showing himself to be an up and coming producer worthy of plaudits and more importantly sales. Make this the first of his work in your collection if you haven't already.
Drafting in the superb Skriblah to bless this beautiful production is a masterstroke.
DJ MAGAZINE (Feb 2007)
'Black Clouds' is a great phase-heavy beat-string matrix saved by fantastic pressure-drop bass that firmly locks this in the same dubtronic territory as Premo or Jaylib, the choice rhymes from Skriblah Dangogh are the kind of icing you crave. Taurus' 'On Guard' on the flip is heavy-lidded headnodding drama built from the ground up. Heads up for great things from Beezwax in '07.
HIP HOP CONNECTION (March 07)
The incredible 'Black Clouds' finds Beezwax, the French-born London-based in-house producer for the Out In The West label, serving up a haunting string loop over which Terra Firma's Skriblah drops equally dark and fiery raps. The melancholy continues with 'On Guard', on which west London's Taurus rolls out gems like, "Armitage Shanks couldn't handle my shit," while Beezwax's spooky piano creeps along wickedly.
TOUCH MAGAZINE (March 07)
Parisian-in-London Beeswax cites the late-'90s French scene as his primary inspiration, which effectively makes this single a second cousin to Wu-Tang – dark and cinematic, one for sparking up and laying back. Skriblah's paranoid Black Cloud leads off, all skittering drums and nightmare synths, but it's upstaged by On Guard, where the nagging piano line is accentuated by some fuzzed-up bass and newcomer Taurus' stream of head-turning lines.
DEAD STRANGER b/w WHATS POPPIN REMIX Reviews:
HIP HOP CONNECTION (November 06)
Keys & Darkus unleash their snappy flows over, respectively, the spaghetti western - sounding DEAD STRANGER and Eurythmitics - assisted WHATS POPPIN, but it's WESTMEN, where they proclaim themselves 'the best back to back link up since CNN' that seals the deal.
BLUES & SOUL (November 06)
Fake gangstas get the bozack from the forthright Mickey Stix (a.k.a Keys) on the Beezwax-produced "Dead Stranger". Those paying attention will remember both Beezwax and Keys from the 2004 Arms Length single "Best Of British". The Paris-born producer builds the track nicely around a classic '60s rock sample, adding atmosphere to Mickey's warnings to halfway thugs not to "chat lies to try and shine" due to the unwanted repercussions. Rugged.
BLUES & SOUL (December 06)
The first three releases from this indie label are bound to put the Parisian-born, London-based producer Beezwax in good stead. 'Dead Stranger' is lovely and melancholy, featuring some tight lyricism from Mickey Stix aka Keys. 'What's Poppin' (the remix) swipes the Eurythmics 'Sweet Dreams' to great effect and 'Westmen' is an electronic hype track led by raucous wordplay from Keys and Darkus. Overall, a hat-trick of potential hits!
BIG SMOKE (November 06)
The French-born, London-raised producer, Beezwax, is starting to make big moves in the UK Hip - Hop scene. His style of production is definitely out there, using an unorthodox style of Techno and Hip Hop but nevertheless pulls it off, creating his own unique style with his use of synths on the What's Poppin' Remix and Westmen. It's the dark and moody "Dead Stranger" where he truly shines.
Buy the CD album here for £7.99 incl. p&p
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LIMITED OFFER UNTIL THE ALBUM DROPS WORLDWIDE FEB.2008: BUY STING OPERATION HERE & RECEIVE THE 'BWP MIXCD' AS A MP3 ZIP FILE SENT STRAIGHT 2 UR E-MAIL! THE COMPILATION INCL. TRACKS BY ARMS LENGTH, STYLAH, TEFCO, TAURUS & MORE
Sting Operation available from 7.2.2008 in Germany distributed by Groove Attack
Reviews & Magazine Features 2006/2007
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)