LEEDS CITY VOL 1 REVIEW

We gunna kick you off with a review of our recently released mix cd or has been pointed out the us by many - compliaton album!

Various Artists

Leeds City Volume1: K Media Mixtape

K Media Leeds

There is a line on ‘Leeds City Volume 1’ that explains what this mixtape is trying to do which is ‘Leeds is a deep place, there’s a lot of talent, its just that a lot of people don’t get to expose this talent’.To quote a recent Off The Hook flyer, Leeds has it bands (check), Leeds has Corinne Bailey Rae (check) but Leeds also has this lot on the K Media Mixtape ‘Leeds City Volume 1’ (check). This as its title suggests deals with life on the streets of Leeds, both the good and the bad are examined throughout the mixtape, although the tracks could relate to any of the UK’s inner cities.

Although really the Mixtape is more of a fully fledged not too mention a fully realised compilation album, with some high quality and diverse tracks. This is only the tip of the iceberg of what’s going on in the Leeds Hip-Hop and r ‘n’ b scene. Which much like the tracks on this mixtape is reaching out to something else, with many of the tracks mixing up various sounds and styles to try and create something new.

The 25 ingeniously hook ridden and head nodding and unique tracks on ‘Leeds City Volume 1’
starts with the funeral march stomp of ‘Target’ courtesy of J Bravo, D Bizzy, and Kockee, which informs us of what Leeds is about. Then on Stay Focus’ ‘Your Life Ain’t That Hard’, amongst other subjects covered on the track, they sum up what Bush and Blair have all been about ‘look at all the destruction that Blair and Bush cause, talking about peace when they really about war.’ This could be in reference to Bush and Blair’s eagerness to carry on their wars on terrorism but equally it could be a reference to their lack of understanding of what’s really going on in the streets of their own respective countries, and that they’re not really doing anything
about it. As Kockee says later on ‘the record stays the same, but right now things have gotta change.’ All the while immense strings and beats build into a dramatic and beatific crescendo.

The next 2 tracks couldn’t be any more different in terms of tempo,
style, and messages, but they sit perfectly together. Firstly there’s ‘See About Me’ from Bianca G, which quite frankly fucking rules, as the feel good samba vibes are urgent and tight and all of a sudden your transported from the sullen and rainy streets of Leeds to down a bottle of tequila and partying in Rio De Janero, with Bianca G informing us ‘be who you wanna be.’


Then sobering us up and bringing us right back to the streets of Leeds is heartbreakingly good and soulful ballad ‘The Streets We Live’ from Alex Mills with some down to earth lyrics such as ‘I can see both sides of the track/ I can see good but also bad’, these simple lyrics are covered in a neon glow and it makes you feel like your floating over the streets of Leeds.

There’s also Rage’s ‘Real Life’ who sounds like across between Sway and Ty, which is no bad thing especially with the message that its trying to get across, and detailing his real life, relationships, peoples problems with drugs, and a cutting critique on the government, with too many fine lyrics to choose from, basically you need to listen to this track.

Then there’s the sick track with fairly sick lyrics of ‘Hospital Time’ from Yes Boss.

Bringing things back up to a very high quality is the mighty Yorkshire Terrierz with ‘Hero’ which seems them on a broken glass classical tip, courtesy of TDP, where a broken piano has a buzzing bass line wrapped round it which works its way through the song. This see’s the YT at their best yet, sounding more confident and more importantly more unique than ever, no one but no one can touch this experimental and powerful crew, if this doesn’t get you crying then there’s clearly something wrong with you and you don’t have a soul!

There’s the widescreen, 2pac-esque ‘Rise To The Top’ from the London based Cyclonius, followed by the deep down and dirty grime mode of Team Depps Productions on ‘The Jump Off.’ And then there’s ‘Keep Pushing’ from J. Needles who gets us too kick back and makes us feel good as the rocky reggae calypso beats take over, hey as the man says ‘keep on pushing whatever the whether.’ Just imagine the sun is shining and you’re in Miami perhaps. Well that is before we’re rudely awaken by the hyperactive sound of G Double telling us ‘Dats Wot I Wear.’ Before Stay Focus are back on our asses and teaching us ‘Lessons.’

The mixtape starts getting pretty heavy on the tracks, first there’s ‘Why You Wanna Klash’ from Witty Boy and Devilish, which see’s Black Sabbath and Cypress Hills rock and rap riffs get mixed up, and see’s Witty Boy ask ‘Why you on a hate tip’ amid some unsavoury lyrics about your mum farting on the bus amongst others. This puts Yes Boss’s sick lyrics to shame, genius.

Then there’s arguably the heaviest track on here with ‘Gangstaz’ from Kockee and G Double which is HEAVY in capital letters and has a message and lyrics that needs to be listen too, with them trying to dispel the myth of gangsta’s and the misrepresentation that all rappers and hip-hop artists and Black people in general are gangsta’s with them questioning ‘why every Black male in the whole UK considered to be gangsta’s?’, and the fact that ‘we look so good must mean that we’re gangster’s’ and ‘cause you from the hood must mean that we’re gangsta’s’, its hypnotic and makes you hit the repeat button over and over.

Also there’s the dark and grimy brilliance of the underrated 373 and ‘Setting Up Shop.’ And then theirs SOL’s track ‘Never Hurt You’ which is laden with some serious violin, cello, and double bass action, and has Number 1 hit written all over it.

Hopefully this mixtape it won’t be overlooked and people will discover more about the individual artists once they’ve listened to this mixtape.

This is only 25 tracks, but its proof that there’s more happening in Leeds, than just Kaiser Chiefs and Corinne Bailey Rae.

Ben Bradford.