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: A nod to legends long established and an introduction to a potential legend
Whilst the tape's cover may evoke Joe Cool's classic 'Doggystyle' cover, Cozone's 'Beattape Vol. 3: Chopaholic' is an impressive mix of 00's New York, post-Dilla Detroit and contemporary down South trap stylings.
What the project does share with the West Coast canine's classic however, is the meticulous attention to detail of it's production; finely selected and chopped soul, funk, rock and folk samples, weaved into new instrumentation seamlessly, with every track being an epic sonic workout.
Starting with the euphoric, Just Blaze stylings of 'Can't Hide' and the Rsonist / Heatmakerz sounds of 'Crowded Spaces', the epic early 00's sound of Roc A Fella and Dipset hangs over the beginning of the album.
The mournful 'I Don't Know What To Do' evokes 'The Minstrel Show' Little Brother, before the glorious 'Come On Down' sounds like a Rick Ross banger produced by J Dilla and Black Milk.
Impeccably chopped vocal samples are the order of the day throughout the project. 'Simple Words' mixes high pitched bird calls, wistful female vocals and a sliding violin sample masterfully.
The second half of the album is an exercise in dramatic, cinematic soundtracks.
'Fool Me Once' is the perfect backdrop for The Lox with it's staccato samples evoking a paranoid setting.
Followed by the incredible Black Milk meets Alchemist - meets trap of 'Hallucination', which chops a psychedelic folk record into fragments, this is a masterclass in sonic suspense.
'Diamond Shine' and 'Stay With Me' finds the producer breathing new life into very familiar samples and with it further reinforcing the sonic signatures found throughout the album.
By mixing samples from a diverse array of genres and paying homage to several high profile influences - especially in the first several tracks - Cozone risked becoming a beatmaking tribute act; an artist who was good at sounding quite a bit like other people, but with no originality or signature of his own.
However, as the project progress and over repeated listening, the project evolves from one that has heavy nods to some of hip hop's greatest beatmakers, to becoming a project that showcases an artist who could, one day, be called one of hip hop's greatest beatmaker's himself.
Beats: 5/5
Mixing and Mastering: 5/5
Track Sequencing: 5/5
Overall: 5/5
Cozone is awarded The New Beatmaker's Award For Excellence for 'Beattape Vol. 3: Chopaholic'.
Whilst the tape's cover may evoke Joe Cool's classic 'Doggystyle' cover, Cozone's 'Beattape Vol. 3: Chopaholic' is an impressive mix of 00's New York, post-Dilla Detroit and contemporary down South trap stylings.
What the project does share with the West Coast canine's classic however, is the meticulous attention to detail of it's production; finely selected and chopped soul, funk, rock and folk samples, weaved into new instrumentation seamlessly, with every track being an epic sonic workout.
Starting with the euphoric, Just Blaze stylings of 'Can't Hide' and the Rsonist / Heatmakerz sounds of 'Crowded Spaces', the epic early 00's sound of Roc A Fella and Dipset hangs over the beginning of the album.
The mournful 'I Don't Know What To Do' evokes 'The Minstrel Show' Little Brother, before the glorious 'Come On Down' sounds like a Rick Ross banger produced by J Dilla and Black Milk.Impeccably chopped vocal samples are the order of the day throughout the project. 'Simple Words' mixes high pitched bird calls, wistful female vocals and a sliding violin sample masterfully.
The second half of the album is an exercise in dramatic, cinematic soundtracks.
'Fool Me Once' is the perfect backdrop for The Lox with it's staccato samples evoking a paranoid setting.
Followed by the incredible Black Milk meets Alchemist - meets trap of 'Hallucination', which chops a psychedelic folk record into fragments, this is a masterclass in sonic suspense.
'Diamond Shine' and 'Stay With Me' finds the producer breathing new life into very familiar samples and with it further reinforcing the sonic signatures found throughout the album.
By mixing samples from a diverse array of genres and paying homage to several high profile influences - especially in the first several tracks - Cozone risked becoming a beatmaking tribute act; an artist who was good at sounding quite a bit like other people, but with no originality or signature of his own.
Beats: 5/5
Mixing and Mastering: 5/5
Track Sequencing: 5/5
Overall: 5/5
Cozone is awarded The New Beatmaker's Award For Excellence for 'Beattape Vol. 3: Chopaholic'.
NB: First Published 27 May 2017