I gotta say, this is the second occasion this month alone I’m able to cover such an intricate type beat project in this format. The first was the album ‘Living Room’ by ‘Q No Rap Name’ who had a similar concept as this but it’s a new day, new set of beats and artists involved so let’s get to it!
This is a massive 35-track album by both Child Actor and August Fanon. As the details go, Child’s parts are tracks 1-25 then August’s are 26-35. Starting with Child’s side of things, the kind of vibe and music he’s presenting us with gives me the feeling of smooth, calm, and meticulous! Very soothing and loop-based tracks with tons of flavour, creativity, and wrapped together in a lo-fi exterior.
Also, there’s a noticeable length difference track for track compared to August’s side of things. With most tracks being under a minute compared to August’s average of ‘1-1:30’ length tracks.
But it’s these short bursts of sonic colour that I love from the first half, it’s engaging and fast-paced similar to what you might expect from a ‘Knxwledge’ album quick cuts with exciting and interesting music. This is exactly what Child Actor provides and honestly was the perfect idea to have his side start the project off.
Secondly, we have August’s side. Which starts off with ‘Enter The Ignorance’ which already kicks off with a spoken word piece into this choir-like vocals turned into this smooth soul sample. Already, you can hear how he’s determined to take this project in a more ‘larger than life’ direction. He’s using the longer song sequences to build these mini sonic aesthetics filled with theatrical delivery, crisp sound, and dynamic production.
If Child’s course was directed in a stronger ‘avant-grande’ art vision then this would be the more conceptual and linear approach to the album. This side of the project reminds me more of your Captain Murphy (AKA Flying Lotus) type vibe with heavy vocal samples and a sense of dark saturation in lyrics and themes. I love the two contracts in sound and focus on this record and the fact that the listener can clearly hear who is on what track.
The Verdict? A fantastic showing by both men involved. I honestly couldn’t pick a favourite side if I tried because both styles are equally important to me so the fact they come on the same project makes this a must listen to any hip hop fan!
Mastered by -MJC @ Last Epoch Productions
https://chldactr.bandcamp.com/album/here-and-here
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