After donning a mask and adopting an ornithological
alter-ego to play his role in one of last year's finest LPs (The Four Owl's
"Natures Greatest Mystery" if you've been sleeping), High Focus' head
honcho is back in the solo spotlight with his third full outing, "Third
Eye Of The Storm".
Fliptrix's debut "Force Fed Imagery", whilst a
little rough around the edges, showcased a raw energy that made him stand out
from the masses as one to watch. His follow up, the brilliant "Theory Of
Rhyme", was a much more polished affair and cemented Fliptrix's standing
in the Hip Hop community. Following the lateral progression, the latest LP sees
Fliptrix at his most composed and lyrically enlightening. Seemingly maturing as
an artist and individual, he has crafted a body of work to stimulate both mentally
and sonically.Right from the off, the personal and lyrical evolution is
evident.
Over Chemo's moody, synth-laden composition, "The Storm"
finds Fliptrix addressing society's neglect of its natural environment before
progressing to the chilling "War To Your Door" suggesting "So
it's war that they dabble with/ Act like a mans flesh comparable to
mannequins". Deep stuff!
Passing through the almost hypnotic stylings of
the Dilligence produced, Ramson Badbonez and Jam Baxter assisted “Frontline
Terror”and the first single “Mind Travelling”, Fliptrix maintains the
intelligent and thought provoking wordplay; epitomised perfectly on “Me Against
The World”. Over Jon Phonics mellow harmonies and rhythmic drum patterns,
Fliptrix discusses the loss of his grandfather, encapsulated poignantly with
the lines, “Time is precious/ Better use it to define its worth”.
As “Third
Eye…” nears the halfway line, a few guests are invited to add an alternative
direction the LP’s journey. Farma G nonchalantly floats over the heavy drum
loops of “Soundscapes”, delivering the standard lyrical gems you would expect
from the Taskforce camp and “Third Eye Sight” finds Jehst stamping his
trademark verbal swagger over Naïve’s beat. My personal favourite of the three
clustered collaborations is “Walk This Way”. Chemo’s reggae/ dub production
suits Buggsy down to the ground but taking Fliptrix out of his normal comfort
zone sees him up his game and adds a whole new dimension to the project.
After
Leaf Dog’s anthemic, no doubt herbally induced anthem “Wylin’Out”, pianos take
the lead. The simple loop and boom bap percussion of “It’s No Lie” is a simile
laden ‘head-nodder’,which is quickly followed by another personal favourite,
“Nothing’s Quite As It Seems”. Based around another ‘ivory tinkling’ sample,
Fliptrix and Verb T’s gruff and smooth respective sounds once again complement
and strike balance with each other as they always seem to.
As the album draws to
a close, the levels surprisingly rise once more. “The Essence”, another
standout, is Fliptrix at his reflective peak. Over Kontigo’s spiritual
instrumentation, Fliptrix laments “So I’m pissed with the piff and a Rizla with
griz in/ Missing the days when we were just kids ‘n/ Man it’s all so far from
this, what happened?” This is then followed with Fliptrix verbally painting the
picture of his perfect “Paradise”. Where the album kicked off with a sombre
vibe, Chemo decides to sign off with an uplifting guitar and infectious drum
loop combination. Albeit a brief affair, “Sun’s Down” is a triumphant, “made it
to the other end of the tunnel” conclusion; perhaps a nod to the musical
journey that has been partaken by the listener. “It’s alright now, I’ve seen
the sun dawning/ It’s early morning plus the rain ain’t falling”.
Despite some
heavyweight production and stellar cameos, “Third Eye Of The Storm” is Fliptrix
at his absolute prime. He seems to have discovered an innate ability to be
questioning mortality one minute then celebrating his ‘horticultural habit’ the
next, without losing any credibility. It appears that Fliptrix is in a place of
musical tranquillity, perhaps having spawned from the success of “Nature’s
Greatest Mystery”, and the way in which he twists and turns the narrative
through a blend of sounds and subjects depicts an individual that is at one
with his art form.
“Third Eye Of The Storm” is thoughtful, honest and
encapsulating music at its finest. If you consider the 3 EPs that dropped in
the run up to the LP’s release, the 22 tracks combine to create Fliptrix’s best
project to date. It goes without saying you need this in your life! Make sure
you head to www.high-focus.com
to get a physical copy or if don’t wish to rely on our country’s efficient
postal system, hit iTunes and download a copy now - http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/third-eye-of-the-storm/id518022413
HIGH FOCUS TAKEOVER
THE SOUL CELLAR,
SOUTHAMPTON
Reaching the tail end of The Four Owls tour and to celebrate the release of "Third Eye Of The Storm", the High Focus team converged on the South Coast to take over The Soul Cellar for a night of hectic Hip Hop. I don't think it would be sacrilege to suggest that High Focus can now be mentioned alongside the likes of Low Life,YNR etc as heavyweights in the scene; they're gradually taking over the world, its merely a matter of time! Fliptrix, Verb T, Jam Baxter and Dirty Dike all delivered some epic solo sets (including the mandatory stage diving) before the Owls took flight and tore the place down. Although I forgot my proper camera, amongst the madness I managed to get a few videos of the the action on my phone. There may be more to come but my Internet is on a go-slow and three hours to upload a three minute video is long! Enjoy...
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