World Music Leads a Hot Summer of New Sounds
- Details
- Category: UK A&E, Lifestyle, Culture
- Published on Friday, 31 May 2024 09:44
- Written by A&E Contributing Editor
Belterz' the new album project by Conscious Route is a social exploration of his personal experience of a changing society and culture, highlighting the insights of an ageing person living life and being an artist in the music Industry.
Taking the perspective of an independent artist, the album features a host of top-flight artists bringing different styles and perspectives as they share insights from their own journeys within the culture of the Scottish music scene.
The album musically and lyrically navigates a range of sounds and social topics, uniting the introspective with social observation, as we have come to expect from Conscious Route. Most of the production is handled battle rapper/ producer MacKenzie, with just two tracks ('2 Guys' produced by Tzusan and 'Essence' produced by Vagrant Real Estate) produced by others.
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Guest musicians, Chris Greive and Scott Bathgate also appear across five songs. With Scott Bathgate adding subtlety to 'Ducks in a Row' and an eerie edge to 'Underground', while Chris Greive brings extra trombone to the subtle style of 'Late', nuance to 'Heart on Sleeves' and a mix of Jazz influenced keys and trombone with the track '2 Guys'.
The feature-heavy project boasts guest appearances from some of Scotland's finest, withtunes featuring Empress, YBxgtown, Kryptik, Lynzie Dray, Milles Better, Gluco, Jennifer Anne Todd, One Oz, Mistah Bohze, MacKenzie, JabbaThaKut, Wends, Becci Wallace, Solareye, Queen of Harps and Pro Focus.
Conscious Route draws upon years of experience in the music industry as he casts an eye over the state of hip-hop culture and the trials of getting noticed as an underground artist.
His vocals mesh perfectly with those of his guests, bringing an array of vocal styles and accents as the music flips from hip-hop head-nodders to a UK Garage throwback, some soul-tinted melodies, dub, and beyond. Continuing to push the culture while keeping an eye on its roots, 'Belterz' shows why Conscious Route has long been regarded as one of the foremost names in Scottish hip-hop.
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The Skinny Magazine "Belterz" Album 4 Star Review ****
"But if anyone's earned the right to be so bold, it's Conscious Route. For over two decades, the London-born, Edinburgh-based rapper has been honing his craft, emerging from the underground as one of the finest hip-hop artists in the Scottish scene." (Chris Sneddon)
The Scotsman "Belterz" Album 4 Star Review ****
"Edinburgh rapper, Conscious Route is big on collaboration and community support. His new album Belterz is stuffed with guest rappers and singers-Empress, Stanley Odd's Solareye, Queen of Harps, Becci Wallace - poised to enhance the diverse musical menu." (Fiona Shepherd)
Tracklist:
01. Amorphous Shaped ft Empress
02. Pretentious ft YBxGtown
03. Carry On ft Kryptik
04. Ducks in a Row ft Lynzie Dray & Milles Better
05. Sugar Coated ft Gluco
06. Essence ft Jennifer Anne Todd
07. Day Ones ft One OZ, Mistah Bohze, Mackenzie & JabbaThakut
08. Late ft Wends
09. Underground ft Becci Wallace
10. Original ft Solareye
11. Hearts & Sleeves ft Queen of Harps & Lynzie Dray
12. 2 Guys ft Pro Focus
13. Day Ones (Remix) ft One OZ, Mistah Bohze, Mackenzie & JabbaThakut
Music Credits:
All tracks produced by Mackenzie, except 'Essence' produced by Vagrant Real Estate and '2 Guys' produced by Tzusan
Scott Bathgate: Guitar on 'Ducks in a Row', guitar and keyboard on 'Underground'
Chris Greive: Keyboards and trombone on '2 Guys' and trombone on 'Hearts & Sleeves'
Tracks mastered by Forest DLG @ KMJ45
Editorial Tom Clover
Pictures by Ben Glasgow
Artwork by John Dyer @DigitalDyer
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Conscious Route is a rapper, MC, poet and singer-songwriter who was born in London before moving to Edinburgh over a decade ago. In 2020, he unleashed the collaborative 'Lost Routes' album, alongside producer True Note, which went on to receive a 4-star review in The Scotsman upon its release.
His most recent album, 'Belterz' has also received 4 star reviews from The Skinny Magazine and The Scotsman. It has been supported worldwide, including 'Day Ones' being named in the top tracks of 2023 on London based Itch Fm's Exposure Show with DJ Sammy Jay and on Sheffield-based Mama RaRay's Break & Bass Fam show. The album has received worldwide coverage with multiple songs played on radio and digital broadcasting platforms. It also was given a featured spotlight on PortlandMetroRecords.com, and was featured on Blacksmith and Frenic's Rinse FM show.
Other recent releases, 'Trojan' and his feature on 'Dragons Jaw' by Post Coal Prom Queen, were named as tracks of the week on BBC Introducing Scotland. 'The Sensory EP,' a collaboration with producer Toni Smoke, also saw 2 tracks receive worldwide airplay on Rapstation 365 radio, being played by the UK's DJ Shorty on the London Chip Shop show, then re-spun by the legendary Chuck D in the USA. His 'Lost Routes Flip Tape' was supported by Tom Robinson's BBC 6 Music's Fresh On The Net BBC Introducing mixtape show and he has seen his music named among the Herald's top 100 Scottish tunes of the year in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
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His 2023 release, 'Jazz Unsung' was featured among the top tracks of the year on Itch FM, the 6th Floor Show, the U.S.A.-based Puso 82.3 FM and on SWH Cam Glen Radio. It was also featured on Tom Robinson's 'Fresh on the Net Fresh Picks' and on BBC Introducing Scotland radio. The track, 'Galactic' was featured on the BBC 6 Introducing Mixtape and on BBC Introducing Scotland, where Shereen Cutkelvin said, "Can I just say this trio together are absolute fire! I mean it just all works so perfectly together, it's by far the best track I heard here, like he's just taken the bar so high, he's knocked it off to a whole other room." Elsewhere, the track, 'Dripping Sauce' with producer Subject 13 (recently released on R&S Records), has been getting hyped reviews and worldwide attention including on platforms YORAPS.COM and DMCWORLD.NET.
Meanwhile, the live music scene has seen Conscious Route headlined The Queens Hall Edinburgh, supported Dabbla, Dead Prez, Marlowe, Pan Amsterdam, Wiki, Jelani Blackman Onyx, and Manga Saint Hilare to name a few.
