VIBE Review: Jack Beats 'Somebody To Love' EP
Ever since the UK duo came onto the electro house scene in 2007, Jack Beats has delivered non-stop, you-know-you-want-to-dance-to-this sounds and mixes. Their ability to effectively sample hip-hop tracks made them a staple in both music worlds. With the release of their December 2012 EP Somebody To Love the guys from across the pond tell a story constructed by their creativity and soundboards.
To begin their book, the first track “Somebody To Love” readies the listeners for what they can expect from the EP let alone the song. From the beginning of the track you are already hooked by the contagious beat and as it progresses, a soft voice enters your eardrums. That voice belonging to Jesse Mills, a veteran electro music vocalist and also UK native. Mills’ voice remains in the forefront of the production, not getting lost behind the loops, synths and of course the body-rocking bass. It’s safe to say the first chapter of Jack Beats’ EP gears up listeners with the album’s title as you prepare to click play on the second section.
Chapter 2, “Just A Beat,” revs you up to take off like a motorcycle traveling at its maximum speed. The beat builds as it continues to play, giving you that “turn up” vibe with the ante the “beat” presents, but mellows you out so you don’t hurt yourself. Next we travel to hip hop in chapter 3.
The third song “About To Get Fresh” is assisted by Philly rap duo Chiddy Bang, but adding a little UK twang from Foreign Beggars’ OV’s verse. Suitable for a topic rappers spit about, “About To Get Fresh” delivers another nicely executed fusion between Dance and hip hop. It is definitely a new sound for Chiddy Bang, however. This mash-up between the three artists doesn’t seem forced or fake. They all brought their talents together to create something that sounds different than what already has been done. Beats’ production, Bang’s flow, and OV’s lyrical structure write chapter three carefully, dotting their I’s and crossing their T’s.
As the EP journeys to the end, chapter four’s track titled “Knock You Down” will have you on your feet but gently hit you onto your butt as the drop kicks into high gear. The hook sums up what the production is all about: “I don’t play around/ See I cut the fuck up and I knock the f*ck down.” The beat also sounds perfect for a nightclub, as the bass fills the room, preventing you from even hearing your own thoughts.
After you regain control of your body from “Knock You Down,” take a breather to the last song “Storm.” Jack Beats took another sound approach to their final chapter, beginning off mellow and slow. Kid Harpoon’s voice sits delicately on top of the piano notes and strings as “Storm” clears out the four previous tracks of straight dancing, and hits listeners with something they probably weren’t expecting while traveling through Jack Beats’ land. This twist to their book won’t leave you disappointed if you’ve already guessed how it would end. If anything, it will leave you wanting more from this five-track EP.
Somebody To Love presents a different feel than that of their Careless EP released in September in terms of a more mellow production and not too much over-bearing bass. Once the book is closed, you will probably go back and travel through Jack Beats’ production again, making it a strong contender for iTunes’ “Best Seller List.” From its simple yet complex sounds to a few catchy hooks or rap styles, “somebody” will begin “to love” this fire EP from the first chapter.
