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
REVIEW: Chicago beatmaker Evil Alex whets the appetite with a musical triptych boasting both signature sound and experimentation
Regular readers already know that The New Beatmaker is team Evil Alex all day.
With his latest 3-track release 'Right Now', Alex has perfected the delicate balancing act of both maintaining a signature sound whilst taking chances and exploring new musical avenues.
The captivating title track, with it's relentless drums and filtered, multilayered sampling, is reminiscent of his earlier work; and yet there is an added feeling of verve and muscularity at the same time; an increased sense of confidence and, dare I say it, polish. 'Right Now' is a track of the year and no mistake.
[Video: 'Evil Alex: Snack Wrap'. One of The New Beatmaker's favourite Evil Alex tracks, from his previous album and a highlight of 2013, 'iGeneration'. Read more about 'iGeneration' here. Photography and Music by Evil Alex. "iGeneration" is available to download at evilalex49.bandcamp.com].
Up next is the cheerily titled 'Quarter-Life Crisis'. This track mixes the layers of samples that Alex has become known for, but with the addition of some big analogue synth chords and absolutely huge kick drums which pound away underneath the video game-style keys and tortured-soul vocal samples.
Up next is 'El Topo' which would sound right at home on earlier Alex outings like 'Hate' and 'iGeneration'. Alex utilizes a drum fill sample wonderfully, whilst a set of unnerving vocal samples gnaw away at the listener's peace of mind.
[Video: 'Evil Alex Presents: The Thousand Frame Stare'. A time lapse taken on Wacker Drive in Chicago, Summer 2011.This was done as a test run for the "Love, Chicago Style" video. Photography and Music by Evil Alex. "Love, Chicago Style EP" is available for free download on evilalex49.bandcamp.com].
With this three track outing, Evil Alex shows an exciting sense of progression, whilst retaining, even building on the elements that made him such an exciting artist in the first place.
Look out for 'Sounds in a Vacuum' Evil Alex's forthcoming LP in the new year.
Evil Alex has very kindly written an exclusive feature on one of his biggest beatmaking influences, Prince Paul, for The New Beatmaker. Be sure to look out for that over the coming weeks.
Evil Alex is featured on 'Soundcloud Sessions': a back-to-back collection of future beats, hip hop, jazz and more. To enjoy previous episodes click here. To never miss a post again, subscribe below:
Regular readers already know that The New Beatmaker is team Evil Alex all day.
With his latest 3-track release 'Right Now', Alex has perfected the delicate balancing act of both maintaining a signature sound whilst taking chances and exploring new musical avenues.
Evil Alex has perfected the delicate balancing act of both maintaining a signature sound whilst taking chances and exploring new musical avenues.
The captivating title track, with it's relentless drums and filtered, multilayered sampling, is reminiscent of his earlier work; and yet there is an added feeling of verve and muscularity at the same time; an increased sense of confidence and, dare I say it, polish. 'Right Now' is a track of the year and no mistake.
Up next is the cheerily titled 'Quarter-Life Crisis'. This track mixes the layers of samples that Alex has become known for, but with the addition of some big analogue synth chords and absolutely huge kick drums which pound away underneath the video game-style keys and tortured-soul vocal samples.
Up next is 'El Topo' which would sound right at home on earlier Alex outings like 'Hate' and 'iGeneration'. Alex utilizes a drum fill sample wonderfully, whilst a set of unnerving vocal samples gnaw away at the listener's peace of mind.
[Video: 'Evil Alex Presents: The Thousand Frame Stare'. A time lapse taken on Wacker Drive in Chicago, Summer 2011.This was done as a test run for the "Love, Chicago Style" video. Photography and Music by Evil Alex. "Love, Chicago Style EP" is available for free download on evilalex49.bandcamp.com].
With this three track outing, Evil Alex shows an exciting sense of progression, whilst retaining, even building on the elements that made him such an exciting artist in the first place.
Alex shows an exciting sense of progression, whilst retaining, even building on the elements that made him such an exciting artist in the first place.
Look out for 'Sounds in a Vacuum' Evil Alex's forthcoming LP in the new year.
Evil Alex has very kindly written an exclusive feature on one of his biggest beatmaking influences, Prince Paul, for The New Beatmaker. Be sure to look out for that over the coming weeks.
