Double Vinyl Quatrains and Parables And Tomes and Scriptures Review

Date: 31/12/69

Author: Administrator

There are those that crave fame and those that crave authenticity. Those who write with a formulaic mind and those that work straight from their heart. And then... there are those behind the scenes. No artist has arrived at your headphones without a menagerie of people behind the scenes. Artists, promoters, graphic designers, managers, vinyl printers, event organisers, studio owners and many many more, not to mention the musicians and vocalists themselves. All these things are essential cogs in the machine of hip hop, well oiled by possibly the most important part - the listeners. Sometimes the line between these different roles blurs, and the love for the artform puts the machine into overdrive to produce something special. Britcore Rawmance Disasters are an independent Record Label with a passion for the vinyl distribution of the rare and otherwise unwaxed. Starting out simply as a way to produce vinyl for britcore crew 'Planet Of The Fakes', it has now grown ten fold into the monster before us, supporting a diverse, and eclectic selection of releases and crews. Many of the releases we've covered recently here on Underground HH have been lovingly brought to your needle by these guys and resident graphic designer Mr. Tibbz.

We've covered a little about britcore before. A branch of hip hop that gave the UK it's voice and it is now enjoying a second golden age, largely thanks to small batch vinyl producers like these. Moving on to this mamouth double release seems a fitting way to pay tribute to BRD and the work they do. The ethos for this particular release is this - take a collection of long-forgotten-about releases by a crew that are one of the early pioneers in UK hip hop. Then remaster them, and release them for the first time on vinyl. With tracks originally created between 1987 and 1996, this release showcases the skills of producer DJ Science, with cuts by scratch hero Krash Slaughter (AKA Smiz) and bars by MCs Kryptic and Swift. And it's not just the music. Skill and love bleed into every corner of these releases. Well planned out and beautifully packaged, these are for the collectors. Both are available seperately in traditional black wax, or there are a limited batch of the double box set in red with it's own exclusive sleeve design. Let's take the two apart seperately.

Quatrains and Parables

The opening track here is fierce and unrelenting. 'Escaping The Clutch Of The Grifting Conna'. Imagine if you can, that someone managed to squeeze a full blown riot from the streets of Scotland into a single PA and speaker stack that has been rammed into a small, dirty, run down venue lost somewhere in the back alleys of the back of beyond. In other words - this is NOT for the faint hearted. Big in every sense of the word, the lyrics fire at you at a pace mostly untouched these days by the UK hip hop charts. I dare say most MCs couldn't even reach it. The cuts only add to the panic as the track builds into a climax of it's tribal drums and lethal lyricism. As far as first impressions go, we can tell that this wax - means business. The second offering here seeps with old school vibe. Taken back to the days of pirate radio, 'Embark On Such Adventure' treats the ears to a display of furious funk, ripping rhymes and a party atmosphere that seems to emulate those early days so well. Closing the first side is something rather more chaotic. "A fucking slaughter house!" screams the sample, and it ain't 'alf wrong. In 'Thoughts Of Panic', massive bass collides with insane strings and samples that create four walls of multi-colour sound, that in true Indiana Jones style, are closing in around you.

Switching to the b-side gives no aural relief. A retro sample gives way to more ear lobe terror in'Difference Dealer', as the MC attacks the mic like ole' Bill Wallace in a bar brawl with Bobby Burns. This is 3 and a half minutes of britcore brutalness, and I LOVE it! The next tune takes us away from the scuffle and into the groove. 'Mr. Media' has Krash Slaughter cuts that chop through the funk like a hot knife through a none dairy based olive spread, and they take pride in being the main cultural culpret in this track. The rhymes once again come time travelling from that golden era, and flow comfortably, head nodding into the final offering from vinyl 1 'Major Tyrant'. Electronic guitars and 80's cheese cover the intro in luminous tye-dyed hoodies, which are then pulled deep over our eyes as we enter into the track. With deep operatic melodies and a ridiculously familiar sample taken from classic western - Eastward's 'For A Few Dollars More' of 1965, this tune is a perfect conclusion to the wax.

Snippet Link Q&P:

Well, with a short tea break that quite simply stank of anticipation, let's see what vinyl 2 has to offer...

Tomes and Scriptures

Not two bars in and my head is already twitching and nodding along to 'Always A Cynic' and it's rolling bassline to end all rolling basslines. Perfect for the MCs to flow over, this beat is surely bringing a gift to the legions of lino lions. I'm even tempted to ware out a little of this old stained bedroom carpet, but alas, it's my fingers right now that are dancing on the keys. Track two 'Apprentice Abattoir' seems like the perfect follow on with it's awkward roaring beat. Stomping through the speaker wire and morphing the airwaves seems like it's 'raison d'être', and the MCs clearly love the punk attitude it allows them. The rawness of the recording takes nothing away from the oomph of the track, which leads elequently to 'Perished Down To Satan's Den', and another retro sampled triumph. Visions of a grainy black and white past creep into this all-out spit-a-thon of hip hop epicness before the needle begs for attention.

Turning the wax over we can start to draw a conclusion on this epic collection of britcore mayhem, with not three but four more gems of UK goodness. "You can't compete!" chants the chorus in 'Spot The Difference', and no matter who the listener may be - i'm inclined to agree. The proceeding stompers do nothing to lessen the attack. The short and punchy 'It's Scam' is laid naked and bare before us, and then the penultimate 'Perils Of Performance' jumps in with it's bending bouncing bass and beef eating beats. Coupled with the horns and sci-fi movements of final track 'The Big Man' these are the ideal full stop to a journey of hip hop history. Like a steam train approaching the station with questionable brakes, it defines the pace and passion of the early UK era.

The fuel that created these tracks must of been nuclear because the energy they give off feels too big for a piece of round plastic to be able to capture. There is a beauty to seeing a collection of tracks such as this, that span nearly a decade of a crew's artistic lifespan. Experiencing music that comes from across an era with all the political and musical changes that come with it, seems to elequently tell a piece of history. The rawness round the edges which in this instance only seems to add to the charm, serves to capture the essence of the era, and this release does it justice in so many ways. For those that were there, an essential piece of the history, yours to own. For those of us of the younger generation, a glimpse of our fore-fathers and the path they laid down for us to follow.