The concept at its heart is a pretty brilliant one; cast around Sydney’s disparate community of beatmakers for tracks from bedroom producers that risk not getting heard and then release a quarterly compilation series DIY-style, with a limited run of 100 CDR copies being given out for free (in a variety of fantastic salvaged materials including astroturf and fabric pouches), and a free download version for the less lucky souls. Indeed, that’s exactly what Jack Prest’s Free The Beats label has been doing for the last year or so, with this fourth volume coming packaged in nothing less than a hand-stencilled wooden box, easily one of the most unexpected objects I’ve had the pleasure of trying to slot into a packed CD shelf over the last twelve months. While the odd recognisable name pops up here, for the most part the emphasis falls upon lesser known artists, and the level of quality on display here is extremely high.
While the main focus here falls firmly upon leftfield hiphop, it’s particularly impressive to see just how diverse each respective producer’s take on the genre is. If Jack Prest’s ‘What Now’ manages to open things on a eerie cinematic note that sees a swirl of sampled strings and vintage movie dialogue smokily resolve itself into a monotonous stripped back hiphop rhythm, as vast bass synths crawl beneath the odd flitting female vocal loop, BFG’s juddering ‘Lolly-Hop’ yanks things straight out of their dusty reverie as scissoring, cut-up beats stretch and flex against fat elastic bass squelches and bright day-glo synths in a manner that sits far closer to the likes of Mochipet’s unpredictable digi-funk. Elsewhere, Elliot’s ‘Play With Power’ sees him dropping samples from vintage Nintendo TV ads over crunching Super Mario Bros-esque beats and queasy-sounding 8-bit synths whilst sending a barrage of arcade game lasers back and forth between the speakers, before Onetalk’s gorgeous ‘Mr Hotness’ takes things out amidst glistening layers of harps and undulating post-J.Dilla beats, in a spectacular offering that calls to mind one of Daedelus’ gentler moments. An awesome compilation that succeeds in unearthing the stellar talents of some local producers operating below the radar – you can download ‘Free The Beats Vol.4′ as well as all of the previous volumes in the series.
Chris Downton
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