Hi! I'm Lee. Welcome to my blog. Here we talk music: news, reviews, interviews, tips, tutorials and more. I'm also working on the upcoming podcast Influenced as a guest, writer and researcher alongside music aficionado Mark Williams and friends. Watch this space! I have been a lover of music for as long as I can remember, an amateur lyricist for 25 years, a music writer for 15 years and a hobbyist musician and blogger for almost 10 years. My tastes range from jazz to house to hip hop and I love helping artists from all genres develop their sound. My music, videos, reviews and interviews have been featured in a variety of magazines and websites, including: B-Boy Tech Report Gimme That Beat Humanhuman Audio Skills Dream House Beats Where Did the Road Go Beat Tape Co-Op Push Power Promo Drum Magazine You can find my music on Bandcamp: Monkey Mind Sounds AKA LeeTNB And you can find me on Facebook: The New Beatmaker page Lee's personal page
Ackryte 'Lifted Transmissions' Review: Beatmaker Continues his Winning Streak with Mellow Grooves and Precise Chops
The Midwest Beatmaker continues his winning streak with mellow grooves and precise, sometimes ruthless, chops.
'No Yolo’ is not just the song title of 2013, it’s a great introduction to Ackryte's latest EP. Check out those sleazy synths, the up and down bass, the ‘clip-clopping’ percussion. This is a slowride through nighttime LA with hooves for Daytons.
Next is the soundtrack to a slow walk through the rain filled city streets all on your lonesome, the mellow ‘AEIOU’s’. I love the great little flourishes over the top of the melancholy keys.
‘CarpeDaaaaaam’ builds masterfully. The piano is beautifully placed and his signature synths add another layer of emotion. Nice.
‘Upper Reaches’ carries on the mood of 'AEIOU’s' and 'CarpeDaaaaaam' well. There’s a live feeling to the drums on this one, with the subtle pauses for a beat or two and extra snares. The crescendo rising and fading out is a memorable touch . More lovely stuff.
Next up is ‘Off the Cuff’. Ackryte's signature sound, that classy-yet-raw soulfulness, wins again here. I love the g – funk basslines, the 90’s RnB melancholic raunch and the post 'Donuts' chops and loose drums.
Speaking of chops and loose drums, Ackryte ruthlessly pummels ‘Poof’ until it sounds like it's going to to dissolve into a pile of goo on the floor. Yet somehow, it maintains. It staggers. It stumbles, It slows down. It catches it's breath and regains it's swagger. Magnificent.
Finally, turn those lights down extra, extra low. ‘Concise’ is another 1 AM cut to seduce that special someone in your life to.
With Lifted Transmissions Ackryte proves yet again that he officially has this wonky- meets-quiet storm steez down to an exact science. Bravo.
Image: huhwhatandwhere.com