Balaphonic
Adventures in Lagos
3.0
Review by Tipsyonturtlesoup
This is the second release for Danny Ward’s
(dubble d/ moodymanc) Well Cut Records.
Balaphonic are, according to the promotional
material, a project fusing organic
instrumentation with their eyes firmly set on
the dancefloor.
The title and opening track ‘Adventures in
Lagos’ is certainly the most accomplished
track on the EP. The engaging percussion as it
opens is interspersed with cut up vocals and
street sounds. The fact that the samples are
street sounds from 1970s Lagos and spoken
word samples of Fela Kuti is a rather nice
touch which lends an authenticity to the piece.
When the track finally kicks into gear the
listener is enveloped in lush, organic cushion
of sound. This is also underlayed with a house
beat which may not make you want to jump
around but certainly bob your head a little and
smile.
The second track, ‘Three Strikes and Out’
follows a similar trend. It reminded me oddly
of playing Donkey Kong Country on the Snes
many years ago for some reason. It is, as the
promotional material claims a ‘lush sounding
deep, 119 bpm organic groove which builds
into a percussion workout’. The percussion
however can become rather irritating at points
much like a small child hitting a metal dustbin
repeatedly with a stick. My main point of
criticism with the track however is that it really
fails to go anywhere; it simply plods along to
a rather abrupt conclusion. Also six minutes is
3.0
rather a long time for something to go
absolutely nowhere.
‘Disorganics’ gets things back on form with
some buzzy samba inspired loveliness. It is
intended to be a nod to the Brazilian scene of
the 60s and 70s and is most definitely intended
for the dancefloor. The strings lend it an almost
Eastern vibe at points and will certainly slap a
smile on your face and a shake in your tail.
This is one to throw on when the party is
beginning to lag or you have just gotten
drenched on the way home from the shops.
Which leaves ‘Silver Lining’ the low point of
the EP, in my estimation. It is a by numbers
dancefloor tune that is repetitive and rather
boring, particularly in light of the tracks that
precede it. To be honest I usually switched it
off before it reached the climax of its
predictable crescendo. It is a shame really to
end an otherwise promising EP with such a
lacklustre track.
As a whole Adventures in Lagos is a decent
EP. It won’t drive Afrobeat fans wild but is
certainly worth a listen, except for that last
track, I wouldn’t even bother. Do however
listen to it on a set of head phones or proper
sound system (mine broke recently much to
my neighbour’s joy). While trying to listen to
the EP over rubbish laptop speakers I found
myself losing interest rather quickly,
headphones or a good sound system are
essential to experience the lush Afrobeat sound
Balaphonic manage to create.
Review by Ciara Walsh
For all of you music lovers out there you will
be pleased to hear that Dr. Mindflip’s newest
EP album “In A Garden Of Fools” is set to be
one of the most popular albums of 2015. The
third and final album was released in
December last year and is already making
music history as it is shared, downloaded,
passed on to friends and shared throughout the
world on YouTube and iTunes and many other
music sites and forms of social media.
Dr. Mindflip are an alternative rock group
that deliver hallucinogenic piano pop. This
unique and wonderfully weird group consists
of four members such as Aidan Guilfoyle,
Séan Kenny, Tommy Wiseau & Stephen Spies.
Dr. Mindflip inherits both a unique sound that
is strange and like nothing you have ever heard
before and is refreshingly different from all the
other mainstream music that we hear today.
This album contains fun, intriguing lyrics
followed by perfect accompaniment, in the
first track of the album “World Of Your Own”
lead vocalist Guilfoyle is accompanied by
backing vocals and ascending and descending
notes from both piano and guitar. In track two
“Chest Beater” we hear a compelling almost
wistful tune that shows Dr. Mindflip in their
true glory.
If someone were to ask me who would I
compare Dr. Mindflip to I would say that they
remind me a lot like bands such as Fall Out
Boy, Panic! At The Disco and many more
amazing artists, you can be sure that although
they may not be releasing anymore