Saturday Spin: Metaform "Standing on the Shoulders of Giants"


While DJ Shadow single handedly created and ended the hip hop inspired, sample based instrumental album with his epic masterpiece Endtroducing you can't knock guys for trying and every now and then those attempts yield something not quite on par but still strikingly beautiful.



Such is the case with the traveling beat creator, record collector Metaform. Like those before him he has a vast knowledge of music and must spend an inordinate amount of time in dusty basements and smelly broke down shops (or maybe he does it all from the comfort of his studio – it is 2009, how many people are still dedicated to the art of diggin?) questing for that rare gem that will make the world right for a moment.

"PCH"


But on top of his ear for sounds to flip Metaform is a multi instrumentalist who crafts an eclectic mix of sounds into something wholly listenable from beginning to end. Standing on the Shoulders of Giants will catch you off guard as it's not quite as Hip Hop as something from the likes of Shadow or RJD2 but yet completely born out of the culture that spawned those and others of their ilk. You will hear soul samples. You will hear electronic and new wave sounds. You will hear folk like guitars. You will hear weak drums that rappers would never spit on. You will hear smooth melodies and dusty record cracklings that NY area dudes circa the early 90s would fiend for. In short you will hear a bit of everything. Even some live horns.



I suppose this amalgamation of sounds is appropriate though as we continue to see Hip Hop step out of the box that was so tightly defined for so long and begin a new journey. Metaform migrates between L.A., S.F. and Tokyo and it shows. So does the fact that he lays it all down in his own home studio (aptly referred to as “The Boom Box”). You wouldn't find the attention to detail on something that was cooked up on the fly in a traveling studio rig, but you might find the globe trotting cross genre influences inspiring new sounds and new ideas. Metaform has synthesized all of his constant movement into one coherent piece of music that is at times sporadic and at times very good. It might not get the party started but it just might be perfect for a late night bus ride in the dark city streets. Or maybe even for a sweat filled club of open minded music fans. The B-Boys might even find something to pop and lock to, he does loop the infamous “Apache” break under about 10 other samples of varying degrees of move ability.

"I Feel Good"


But that is part of the genius of Standing on the Shoulders of Giants; with all of this going on how could any of it actually be enjoyable. But it is. He lowers the decibels when needed of one sound and sprinkles in his own playing generously. Bangs on his MPC (or some other sample triggering device), and might even play some live drums too. He keeps you curious and has a vast library of sounds (and some great selections of vocal snippets) to keep you wondering what might come next. And capturing the audiences ear is half the battle.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Curren$y & Wiz Khalifa "How Fly" Review

Image
Two of Hip Hop’s best kept secrets found each other, seemingly through a thick haze of weed smoke – stoners do tend to unite. While Curren$y did enjoy a brief moment of semi fame rolling with Lil' Wayne, he left for potentially greener pastures (addressed splendidly on “S.D.L”) and has been steadily on his grind with the Fly Society behind him. Wiz Khalifa on the other hand has been making a name for himself on both the blog scene and the tour circuit, although he hasn’t made it out to the North West yet. His hustle never did seem appreciated by Warner Brothers who saw a star years ago when they signed him, but sit on the shelf he did until finally gaining his freedom just over 2 weeks ago. Independent is the way to roll and these two obviously share more in common than a fetish for the greenery, fresh kicks, and designer labels. The album gives you much of what you would expect and some of what you might not have. The beats are rocking almost all the way through, some however le
Read more

An Interview With... Carlos Niño

Image
My sonic journey has taken me through many sounds, styles, artists, and scenes. Preparing for this interview was cause to reflect on when I first heard the name Carlos Niño , and I think I can pinpoint it near the beginning of the LA beat era . Since that time his name has floated in and out of my ears depending on how tuned in I was. In more recent times his name has been near the top of my most listened to and cherished artists. These connections, these diverse and non linear weavings of activity are part of what make Carlos Niño’s music so inspired to my ears. He seems to just get it. He makes uplifting, soulful, joyous, energetic music - even when it’s calm and ethereal. As I’ve traveled a new path in my life over the last nearly five years, cultivating and developing spiritual and meditative practices to enhance and enlarge my essence, music has been intrinsically connected. As a doorway into the cosmos, a guide towards something greater, a companion through the dark and light mo
Read more

Supersonic Rainbow Fiend

Image
As I was contemplating this piece, sitting with the three albums being inspected, I was struck with a lot of thoughts around my journey to Jazz. Recently I mentioned my first hearing Kind of Blue and my inability to grasp the beauty of it at the time. I was a high schooler who was consumed with rap just beginning to step away from the stars of the era and digging into an underground that was vibrant and diverse. I had more digesting to do. This is a repeated pattern throughout my sonic history. I find some music that strikes a chord and I dig in. The napster fueled download era was a dream. Then came the blog era which also rewarded this kind of deep dive. I was trapped in a purgatory of my own making as streaming took rise and was fairly tuned out from anything that wasn’t equally dark and hopeless. As I emerged from that darkness and began hearing names I hadn’t heard of before, exploring this world of modern Jazz became the new quest. Initially it seemed too vast, too much. But I
Read more