Artist Feature #5 - Seven Lions x Lexo

Over the past few months, I’ve been waiting on a release project from a Santa Barbara-area native, and one of the few talented producers in our coastal paradise. In these technologically innovative times we live in, it’s clear that everyone wants to be a DJ. In a 21+ college and beach town like SB, they are everywhere. Producers on the other-hand, despite the rapid tech advancements in this field as well, still requires long studio work, high expense, and of course, an abundance of artistic creativity in order to break through to new listeners effectively. Quality productions seem especially hard to come by in Santa Barbara, where just an hour down the way is the megalopolis of Los Angeles, I've seen to too many 805 talents breakout, then bitter-sweetly --and with best wishes-- watch as they depart for better opportunities. But as the city gains a wider EDM scene in general, the producers have steady been churning out. Last month I posted my fourth artist feature profiling Toro 43’s debut release, the purple-electric "Lavanda Summa" EP which you can check out and download, here. Now again it’s my pleasure to bring you top quality production from another Santa Barbaraian, Seven Lions.

I had been hyped on this release for a multiple reasons. First, Seven Lions is the new pseudonym for progressive-house Producer/DJ Jeff Montalvo's dark-side, who has been consistently rising in notoriety. He released his first EP last year, a 5 track effort entitled "Movement", available on Beatport via Elliptical Recordings. This progression reached a climax when DJ Tiesto gave radio-play to his track, “Under Pressure”. Any release from Jeff Montalvo is something to track down. With a disciplined drive and high standard for quality music, the output is always a listening pleasure. Secondly, as mentioned, Seven Lions is the alternate identity for the heavier, bass-oriented side of Jeff Montalvo. Before entrenching himself in the world of EDM, Jeff was originally a metal head as a yout. As the transgression of American dubstep came sweeping through, it was only a matter of time until metal lovers found common ground.

This is no surprise since dubstep treats the genres before it like a harem, developing strong relationships with eclectic influences. Such crossbreeding has occurred regularly in dubstep with hip-hop, DnB, dub-reggae, electro-house and the west-coast beat-scene. The first time I heard Jeff Montalvo’s dubstep was upon our introduction, after Professor West had dropped a dubplate of his at a Santa Babylon show last year. At the time, Montalvo was still experimenting with the sound, having made a remix series of sampled metal tunes into dubstep. His EDM productions, which tend to be house or trance with a progressive flare, may seem at odds with the heavier, raved-out dubstep sound... but to Montalvo, it was really no long ting. Lastly, I was looking forward to the upcoming release because he had relayed to me that it would feature a partnership with a south-coast rapper, as well as a few other vocalists.

That rapper was Lexo the Great. Although currently residing in the LBC, Lexo is also from north-county Santa Barbara area. The 805 has always played an integral role in his musical and personal development, so I was pleased to hear the collaboration would feature another 805 loke. Similar to Montalvo, the last couple years have been precipitous of big things for Lexo the Great. In 2010 he released a respectable 4 mixtapes on top of a street album, dropping several videos along the way. In 2011 he performed with rock-reggae sensation Iration on their So-Cal Tour and SXSW. This momentum culminated into Lexo releasing his latest single “Another Day” feat. Iration, which is available on iTunes, here. Continuing in positive fashion, Lexo is making massive steps on his new album, working with reggae icon and Grammy Award winning producer, Native Wayne Jobson. I was just recently booked alongside Lexo in Malibu this past month and got to see him live. With a genuine character and vivacious stage presence, it solidified Lexo the Great as a charismatic performer in addition to a recording artist. And I look forward to rocking mics with him again, this time in Santa Barbara on August 12^th @ Statemynt Lounge.

805 pride aside, in actuality this release will get play well beyond city limits. The "Keep It Dirty" EP stays true to the name, with Seven Lions' production work going into serious head-banging wobble frequencies alongside Lexo’s party rocking bars which are always on point, and keep the dance-floor moving. In dubstep, the vast amounts of hip-hop vocals (original or remixed) in the scene these days, I like it when a producer doesn’t go over the top by layering vocals all over the mid-ranged drops. Instead, Lexo’s vocals work in tandem with the track’s drops, hyping up long beat-laden intros, or breaking out on the breaks before Seven Lions sets it off again with the second drop. Seven Lions, as a classically trained practitioner, puts a high emphasis on melodies. As such, he generally doesn’t find synchronicity working with rappers for this reason, and typically prefers sung-vocals to work with... or nothing at all. With this format and chemistry on the “Keep It Dirty” release, Seven Lions’ arranges the tunes to be consistent quality, while maintaining unpredictability throughout the entire tracks. This is especially evident on the one track I wasn’t granted a dubplate for, and happened to be my top rated on the EP.

The tune, entitled “Back Down” was last to be recorded due to a feature from Michael Peuschel of Iration. Lexo licks off two dope 16s between drops that both build-up & breakdown like a warning alarm for incoming bass bombs. Then following the third verse section comes Peuschel’s thirty-second instrumental guitar solo. The track not only maintains a heavy production, but also manages to do so while echoing hip-hop, to “brostep”, to rock/reggae styles all at once. In the multifaceted evolution of dubstep, ‘progressive’ is almost a non-use word in this rapid changing and dynamic sonic environment, but with Seven Lions, it’s certainly applicable. His ability to encapsulate these different aspects of dubstep’s hyper-evolutionary character into a single amalgamation, showcases his innovative production styles. Further adding to a maintained interest throughout, the duo brings in relief features such as the aforementioned Peuschel, the lovely Sarah Clark, and one of Lexo’s mandem, Fedie Demarco, who features on the bonus track; a Watts remix of the EP’s stomper riddim, “Fully Loaded”. Best of all, as it's Seven Lions' debut release, the decision was made by both artists to release this top-notch product for FREE. So the next time you hear the name, you’ll know what’s up!! Grab the EP for free via Seven Lion’s SoundCloud, or directly down below. And don't forget to get that sick cover art by graphic artist Cliff Nelson, who also did the art for Montalvo's Movement EP.

And an EP release wouldn’t be proper without a party, right? And sure enough Seven Lion’s and Lexo will be lighting up the sound system at Statemynt Lounge on August 12^th, for the Keep It Dirty Release Party. This is going to be a rager, with an ace line-up of mixed-genre EDM. In addition to Seven Lion’s headline act, the night will include sets from DJ's Rene (Underground Souls), 9FTOFSMOKE (BluntBros.FM), as well as Zander, a wicked glitch-bass Producer/DJ who is also collaborating with Lexo. Just got word that they will be showcasing an unreleased tune at the show! Come in early and celebrate the summer with us, as well as this massive release of bass-weighted pressure. Support your local talent. Again, download the EP below, for free, and check out www.jeffmontalovo.com and LexotheGreat.com for future updates and material. P.E.A.C.E.

Lexo and Seven Lions - Keep It Dirty (Free Release) by Seven Lions

Post-Grime

Just finished up my first proper mix… On that MC-to-DJ ting. Some cool down vibes via sub-bass pressure reverberating your mental; sans the midrange wobbles. Any trigger happy LFO tunes in my mid-levels are replaced by ace vocals. Blends of easy ‘purple’ vibes, deep half-step rollers and neo 2-step grime riddims, all laced up with 140 vocalists; be they rappers or singers. I decided to call this “Post-Grime” for multiple reasons. But before that, let me start of by saying this label isn't a label, just the title of the mix. It's simply a term to describe something; a pattern. So don't take it as a re-label fashion at all, it's just art, yo. Although these styles crossover into different classifications... for all intensive purpose, "post-grime" is really just "grime" music... please understand this foremost.

Now, my motive for the post-grime statement: First, the obvious derivation coming from the recent influx of a “post-genre” branding which has been heavily used in particular reference of the 140 offshoots of UK garage; dubstep, grime, 2-step, bassline-house, UK funky, and most recent, the ominous “future garage”. In some ways, this mentality recalls the spirit of dubplate culture, which speed garage and then later 2-step, had inherited from the jungle days when they shared two-room venues. Unfortunately, the influence has gone wayward in the digital age with the decline of vinyl dubplates, but also a lack of the cultural understanding by people who simply liked the music, and saw no cultural connection or any need for a connection. A shame, but no fault of theirs. All aside, the principles of anti-traditional, forward thinking production values remained from the dubplate-era, and is further enhanced by the vast amounts of musical influences and sonic technologies interacting with one another nowadays.

“Post-Grime” also speaks to a more musically inclined definition of the same concept. As mentioned, all the 140 genres have been cross-pollinating amongst each other, and it has only accelerated of recent. Where grime has always been very vague in the definition of what constitutes “grime”, the emcee was always the deal-breaker. Not any emcee mind you, a grime MC. Put a grime artist on UK funky, dubstep, ‘purple’, and even some hip-hop or reggae… it can be labeled grime to a certain degree, and hence the crossovers begin. This idea also holds true to this mix. It’s interlaced with various different, yet related-genre styles, with constant vocal features by an array of diverse grime emcees. Think, “Post-Genre with an MC”.

Now amongst the classifications of “post-genre” branding, grime is the least likely to be considered so. These “post” labels are typically applied when its predecessor has collectively lost its way, as most music styles and cultures inevitably do. In fact, grime is probably the most healthy it’s been since its inception in the early-2000s. Of course, the same can be said for its sibling sister dubstep. But while the Croydon star child is enjoying mass success, it has completely transformed from its original production principles. Think, “Jungle to DnB without the name alteration.” If that's success to you, then we just belong to different schools of thought. ‘Niche’ aka Bassline-House, another UKG offspring of the Midlands UK, has all but fallen off. But artists brought up through the grime scene have had more chart-tunes this past year than ever before. Skepta, Tinchy and Chipmunk all had massive years, though not always putting out grime, they are indeed a legacy to be lauded and supported. The grime-bred pop-stars are best epitomized by Tinie Tempah’s global chart success, have just recently received the BET award for best international artist.

Grime’s not just in the pop charters either. Dubstep’s massive appeal on the airwaves has also helped grime artists and producers, such a the respective P-Money and True Tiger, gain exposure in the at massive festivals, raves and cubs. The rise of the Butterz label, run by Skilliam and Elijah, have given grime its vinyl back, and the imprint is building a quality discography and paving the way for more instrumental releases, which were sorely lacking in the emcee dominated mixtape-era just a couple years ago. And just last year, finally a North American, Tré Mission out of Toronto, ascended the implausible act of breaking out within the UK scene domestically. But there are reasons as to the aversion of the grime label…

I wanted to avoid a general application of “grime”; again for multiple reasons. Foremost amongst them was my audience. I’ve decided to push ‘this sound’, whatever you want to call it. And as opposed to my success in pushing dubstep for a few years now **Note: strickly as an MC//Promoter**. I’m not really aiming for those ravers either. This shit for the hip-hop heads. I’ve immersed myself in this enticing, fresh 140 BPM hotbed for over 3 years now, and have pretty much stopped listening to hip-hop. Even before my style altered, my taste already had. Hip-hop just seemed to have lost the edge it always had as I started to feel I had heard it all before in some fashion. But I never stopped loving hip-hop. That's because, as KRS-One proclaimed, “I AM HIP-HOP”. Any music I listen to applies this urban street culture I’ve always been apart of, and it always will. So instead of trying in vain to expose the grime scene to Americans, it's better to start it off fresh, for the time being. Pushing "grime" just isn’t effective, and usually loses more listeners than it gains. For some odd reason, grime is a tainted name. I think it may have something to do with the abrasive, raw production style and hardcore, violent wordplay. But I actually believe it’s because it’s marketed (usually in vain) to the EDM ravers, especially stateside. (That's why as an introductory mix, I'm attempting to appeal to new listeners by I avoiding the harder, raw, high-energy grime tunes). True, dubstep and jungle both have solid roots in hip-hop, but only to a certain level… but grime pushed those boundaries between EDM and hip-hop further than ever before. With that, EDM ravers also tend to not be hip-hop heads either… there is only so much subculture to go around in one’s life. So fuck the rave, this that street bump shit. Night crawlin’ riddims. Not to say that you can't skank out on this, cause that's what grime is too! Keeping it raw and street, while still keeping people breaking out on the dance-floor. This is the beautiful balance of grime music.

But it’s not just that behind my “Post-Grime” concept. You see, similar to jungle music before it, grime isolates itself to its central hub, London. It cannot realistically be accessed by an outsider… you almost have to be brought in by the existing establishment; the controllers. So essentially, I will begin to expose this music stateside --not just through DJ sets, but through original productions, vocals (without British accents), and events. But with my status, I will never be accepted amongst the meaningful, core artists in the grime scene. Upholding this LDN isolation, I truly believe this to be one of grime’s biggest detractors, and has unfortunately limited a music that had so much potential on the outset. So “Post-Grime” attempts to avoid the grime label, while still remaining true to the culture, even if in an oppositional way. If they want to close themselves off to outsiders, then I’d rather not call my style “grime” in return. I’ve come to believe this will help break the sound transnationally, as listeners here will inevitably trace back to the UK original sound. Also, as I try to introduce this new style to all my hip-hop heads, many of which just do not get down with dubstep or other EDM --myself often included-- a vague, temporary label will help facilitate its own forward progression, with no strings attached.

Expect much more of this sound… cause I’m going all in. Currently working on some tunes with a few producers in South Cali. I wanted to use this mix as the kick-off for my stateside “post-grime” push. Mixes will get a bit hard and more "grimy", but I wanna ease it on ya, get me? All I ask of you, the listener, is keep an open-ear and an open mind. Even though it’s quite a divergent and unaccustomed sound… I just know you’ll feel it. So let this mix introduce you to my wonderful world of “Post-Grime”, cause this is just the beginning. P.E.A.C.E.

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*If your vibezing off this, and want to know more about grime, check out rebel-elite's intel, here.

**The Post-Grime mix has been taken down on my SoundCloud and replaced with Post-Grime:DEUX. However, here is a download link to the original concept mix.

Post-Grime by Hoodzpah