Arts the Beatdoctor – Transitions
Posted by Joe Lazar on March 19, 2007
Arts the Beatdoctor // Transitions // P-Vine Records // Release Date: February 2, 2007 (Japan only)
It is neither hot or cold in Cincinnati right now. The stars are in full effect, with a slight breeze creeping inside my window. Nothing fits the scene more than Art the Beatdoctor’s debut album, Transitions.
Art the Beatdoctor is a beatmaker from the Netherlands, who is extremely secretive about his alias, adding the mystery to his cinematic and silky smooth Japanese exclusively released debut.
The feeling of night is apparent throughout the whole LP. “Decreasing Daylight,” has a backbone of drums and bass, but Art supplements a perfect dose of detuned brass, with a vinyl hiss hovering in the background. As the song fades out, the only noise left is a few desperate saxophone blows, before the sound of an automobile flashes by leading us into “Transitions,” with Proov on the mic. Proov is in the middle of a frantic enviorment, as the sounds of a subway roll by. ‘Rattling ringtones from babbling bimbos / Toilet decay, too many delays/ Fuck it, its all part of the norm / Finally, last stop, last station, last platform.’ Then the sound of the subway becomes louder, as the music glides, making you feel like you are on the subway, with headphones on. The track takes a turn, with a distorted funk bass accompanied by drum beat, fading in….then out….back in….then out.
This sense of an atmosphere is what Arts is a master at. If you close your eyes, I can’t help but feel like I am there, wherever that may be. Arts’ production style is a perfect mix of RZA and Nicolay (Foreign Exchange producer). Or a more perfect comparison would be Nujabes, the Japanese producer who did the Samurai Champloo soundtracks. ”Revolve,” has an upfront guitar, but not your usual sounding guitar, sounding straight from the realms of Shaolin. “Crazy Times,” is fueled by pianoes drizzling and a quiet, layered voice drifting back and forth. Skiggy Rapz appears, doing a fair job at reminiscing Eminem.
With a lot of hip hop albums, you need the MC to paint the picture. The vocal appearances for Transitions are good, but Arts music alone can easily and outstandingly win you over. People may say a picture says a thousand words, but the soundscape of Transitions computes that music can say quite a few too.
8.5/10
