Eight Ball Mixtape Volume Two
BDR would like to welcome our new reviewer John Reed Spiers, journalist, alcoholic, all around nice guy. He also does baptisms! Here is his review of the Eight Ball mixtape...
This is one for your collection: a 30 track mixtape with hardly a low point. Is this even possible? Compiled by Inverness emcee Verse One, and sponsored by bringdaruckus.com and Sagem, this is a sharp collection of tracks by some of the best and brightest artists from the UK.
Scatabrainz kicks things off on “Just Being Myself”, as Bigg Taj provides the beat boxing. The track has a calm and hypnotic vibe that continues throughout the record with contributions by the likes of Ewhurst, Danz, and Ritchy Spitz.
While many of the tracks do have a laid back feel to them, the occasional cacophonic beat cuts through the mellow vibe of the mix, as on Phi Life Cypher’s Phili’s “Almost”, as well as Great Ezcape’s “Blessed Thing”. The following track, Asaviour‘s “This Planet (remix)” is one of the many highlights of the mixtape. A thick chunky beat provides the back drop for Asaviour’s paranoid and apocalyptic vision.
A few big names turn up. Both Roots Manuva and Braintax make brief and rather unimpressionable appearances with previously released material. This makes it all the more easy for the likes of Blakhart & Hype and Ramson Badbonez to deliver some of the best material on the record, easily outshining their more renowned peers.
Another high point of the mix is the introspective “End Of The Day” track provided by Eastborn. Breaking away from the more aggressive style of some of his past political work, the Edinburgh born emcee provides us with a nostalgic and mournful meditation on our shared experiences of life, loss and regret.
This is a compilation that showcases a great deal of UK talent and is definitely worth checking out. Furthermore, proceeds from the record will go to the National Autistic Society. The aim is to raise 7000 pounds. It’s well worth contributing as, not only do you get to feel good about yourself in the brief moment between now and your next hangover, but you’ll also end up with one of the better mixtapes the UK has seen in years.
Review by John Reed Spiers
You can purchase the album from our store.
