ReadabilityAncient Astronauts - Into Bass And Time
Ancient Astronauts
Into Bass And Time
ESL /Switchstance; 2011
Into Bass And Time is the latest creation by a German duo that goes by the name Ancient Astronauts, a moniker that rightly conjures up all sorts of alien-related conspiracy theories in my brain. Despite their European lineage, these two gentlemen bring to the table prodigious levels of classic African-American musical influences – old-school turntable-ism, ‘70s funk of the Sly And The Family Stone variety, and full band hip-hop that would make A Tribe Called Quest and The Roots smile proudly. The album is chockfull of bangers that could rock a club or tear up a street with ease, but there’s something a bit too “mixtape” about this release, and it occasionally comes across as too schizophrenic for my tastes.
As much as I love the thick bass grooves and big strains of soul and funk that run through the project, there’s a large part of me that remains confused. Case in point: out of the fifteen tracks here, only seven have MC’s spitting verses, which means the other eight are typically four-minute long instrumentals that are begging for another rapper to re-purpose. Thus, my concern is that, by not finding someone to sing, rap, or toast atop your excellent tunes, a large portion of the project sounds like a well-produced collection of beats that you’re going to shop around to other artists for them to use.
For the most part, the music are stellar and up-tempo: the songs are club and dancehall friendly, with a retro soul/funk/hip-hop appeal that’s powered by rich bass lines (Duh.), horn bleats, guitar riffs, and a regular assembly of vocal samples chattering about “ancient astronauts.” The music is fun and engaging, and reminds me of an early-in-the-night DJ set designed to get people moving, one that makes you wonder if there actually is a live band playing somewhere, and not someone simply spinning wax.
In all seriousness, I quite enjoy the vast majority of Into Bass And Time – “Still A Soldier,” “Anti Pop Song,” “Eternal Sunshine” (featuring W. Ellington Fulton), “Give It To You” (featuring Monsoon), and “Last Night” (featuring Akua Naru) are all great cuts. Ancient Astronauts curate a wide variety of grooves, samples, ideas, hooks, and progressions with ease, managing to create a great throwback project that doesn’t sound clichéd. With a few more MC’s, this “post-hop” record could have easily ended up on my year-end “Best Of 2011” list.
Ancient Astronauts
Into Bass And Time
ESL / Switchstance; 2011
Into Bass And Time is the latest creation by a German duo that goes by the name Ancient Astronauts, a moniker that rightly conjures up all sorts of alien-related conspiracy theories in my brain. Despite their European lineage, these two gentlemen bring to the table prodigious levels of classic African-American musical influences – old-school turntable-ism, ‘70s funk of the Sly And The Family Stone variety, and full band hip-hop that would make A Tribe Called Quest and The Roots smile proudly. The album is chockfull of bangers that could rock a club or tear up a street with ease, but there’s something a bit too “mixtape” about this release, and it occasionally comes across as too schizophrenic for my tastes.
As much as I love the thick bass grooves and big strains of soul and funk that run through the project, there’s a large part of me that remains confused. Case in point: out of the fifteen tracks here, only seven have MC’s spitting verses, which means the other eight are typically four-minute long instrumentals that are begging for another rapper to re-purpose. Thus, my concern is that, by not finding someone to sing, rap, or toast atop your excellent tunes, a large portion of the project sounds like a well-produced collection of beats that you’re going to shop around to other artists for them to use.
For the most part, the music are stellar and up-tempo: the songs are club and dancehall friendly, with a retro soul/funk/hip-hop appeal that’s powered by rich bass lines (Duh.), horn bleats, guitar riffs, and a regular assembly of vocal samples chattering about “ancient astronauts.” The music is fun and engaging, and reminds me of an early-in-the-night DJ set designed to get people moving, one that makes you wonder if there actually is a live band playing somewhere, and not someone simply spinning wax.
In all seriousness, I quite enjoy the vast majority of Into Bass And Time – “Still A Soldier,” “Anti Pop Song,” “Eternal Sunshine” (featuring W. Ellington Fulton), “Give It To You” (featuring Monsoon), and “Last Night” (featuring Akua Naru) are all great cuts. Ancient Astronauts curate a wide variety of grooves, samples, ideas, hooks, and progressions with ease, managing to create a great throwback project that doesn’t sound clichéd. With a few more MC’s, this “post-hop” record could have easily ended up on my year-end “Best Of 2011” list.
