By Keith Walsh
With the debut album that wears its creator’s rebellious heart on its sleeve, London’s Law Abidin Citizen delivers Self-Centered Urban Male (SCUM) a mix of dance worthy tracks featuring extremely creative sampling, badass drums and bass, and other sparkling electronic features. (My interview with creator Levi Oak-Reid is on popularculturebeat.com.)
The samples themselves are from an array of genres, including Nigerian tribal chants (“Mother Mary”), to Madonna (“The Power Of Goodbye”). Lots of these are 80s and 90s influences, including from Chris Isaac, Spice Girls, Linkin Park, no surprise since hip hop began to mutate along with the evolution of technology in the last twenty years of the 20th century.
On a poster advertising the ABID3 Tour, the NWA motto is appropriated to read “Straight Outta South London.” The electronic legacy of Great Britain is surely represented here including sounds revealing Manchester and London synthpop and rave music. Themes are loaded with social concerns, from love and desire (“Work”, “Blue Bloods,”), work, scapegoating (“Chasing Rabbits)”, drugs (“Mother Mary,”) and dancing (every song on the nine track set.)
The mastermind behind the act is Levi Oak-Reid, and it will be a challenge to get info about him as little is told. The packaging and messaging are provocative in a way that’s rebellious and the products of a D.I.Y. effort by an artist who’s clearly inspired and has the tools he needs. In the same way that classic rap and hip hop allowed the creators to get messages out, Self-Centered Urban Male is edgy and salient, but an improvement on its early rap inspirations by incorporating more attractive melodies, lush pads and other sounds that lean towards ambient. “Levitation” for example, is a dance track but take away the beat and you’d find the ponderous swells and echoes of ambient.
“Giving is Good” approaches transactional love, “On Top Of The World” is a strange electro ballad, and “Norman Needs Help” is a dark take with quotes lifted from the recent Bates Motel series on A&E, and it evolves into a religious sermon. It’s a creepily effective finale for an album that fairly shines, particularly on the dance tracks.
“Self-Centered Urban Male” Official Website
Law Abidin Citizen Link Tree
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