M-Phazes
Australian beat maker, M-Phazes follows up his 2010 release, Good Gracious, with his latest collection Phazed Out. This compilation plays like an old fashioned blend tape with seamless transitions and excellent cuts provided by DJ Rhetmattic (of the World Famous Beat Junkies), and enlists some of New York’s finest emcees, rapping off M-Phazes’ headnodding boom-bap productions.
M-Phazes’ production style is inspired by boom-bap kings like DJ Premier (who gives him a shout out on the album) and Pete Rock, as well as newer guys like Jake-One (another shout out) and Mr. Porter. On “I’m The Reason”--which features a great performance from Coalmine all-star Bekay--M-Phazes chops up some heavy horns to put on top of neck-snapping drums. Bekay also shows up again on “The Raw” alongside Saigon and Inspectah Deck, all of whom deliver multisyllabic rhymes over Phazes’ chopped-up guitar loop.
Fans of the classic New York sound will undoubtedly love Phazed Out. The Aussie beatsmith enlists some classic New York rappers such as Masta Ace (on the remix of “Brooklyn Bridge”), CL Smooth (on “Perfect Timing”), J-Live (on the closing, “Super Good”) and multiple appearances from Sean Price. There aren’t any weak beats on the project, and the compilation’s brevity keeps the record from getting repetitive. Fans of more progressive hip-hop--and more creative song topics--may not enjoy Phazed Out. But those who love headnodding beats and rappers just spitting hard verses, this is the record for you.
- Zach Gase
