Sean Russell - Street Beat
Ambient, Trip-Hop, Nu Jazz
Barbados, Caribbean
Overall Impression: Caribbean producer Sean Russell takes listeners on a musical journey, with his release of "Street Beat." Washed-out guitars, exotic strings and smooth electric piano flow freely atop bustling modern hip hop drums on this instrumental track. Russell's tidy, uncluttered approach results in a spacious and meditative arrangement that's punctuated by trippy dub effects and subtle vocal shouts, while the meticulous beat design features crisp snares, trap hats and booming 808s. Fans of ambient breakbeat, nu jazz, and trip-hop in particular should absolutely check out Sean Russell's "Street Beat."
Strongest Point(s): Excellent production, solid mix. Nice bass intro. Outstanding beat design. Brilliant arrangement, each section flows nicely into the next. Lots of space, never feels overly busy. Good variation and contrast between the different instruments and textures. The dub swooshes and shouts add wonderful color. Plenty of melodic and rhythmic variety to keep listeners engaged, while the drums stay consistent and provide the glue. Overall, this is an engaging composition that incorporates elements of jazz, hip hop and world music in a fun and compelling manner. Fantastic work on this track.
Target Audience Appeal: Fans of Trip-Hop, Instrumental Hip Hop, Ambient Dub, Ambient Breakbeat, Nu Jazz
Artist target suggestions: Nightmares on Wax, Jazzanova, Bonobo, The Herbaliser, Wax Tailor, DJ Shadow, Gotan Project, Thievery Corporation, Basement Jaxx, UNKLE, Röyksopp, Buscemi, Emancipator, DJ Spooky, L'Orange
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About the Reviewer:
Steven Azami is a multi-instrumentalist with over 25 years of experience in the music industry. Both as a touring/session player and as a producer, his career has spanned nearly every genre from bluegrass to jazz, from rock to reggae. In addition, his work as a music educator has allowed him to cultivate and foster talent among the next generation of musical explorers.