Pick Of The Week #1: The Q4

Pick Of The Week #1: The Q4

Our first Pick Of The Week is a brand new track by The Q4 (The QuadraphoniQuartet), a collaboration between Dutch producers Arts The Beatdoctor, STW and Sense. Their new album drops on January 22, 2010 on Project Mooncircle.

Our first Pick Of The Week is a brand new track by The Q4 (The QuadraphoniQuartet), a collaboration between Dutch producers Arts The Beatdoctor, STW and Sense. Their new album drops on January 22, 2010 on Project Mooncircle.

Music

The track is called ‘Demagogues’ and features rapper Paradox aka Pax, who you might know of his efforts in Illicit, Pax & Pry or Kyteman’s Hip Hop Orchestra. Check out a snippet mix of the upcoming album below, but please tune in to Laid Back Radio to hear the full track:

(Skip to 5.39 to hear a snippet of ‘Demagogues’, our Pick Of The Week)

Full Track

Click the logo below to tune in to Laid Back Radio digitally. They broadcast our Pick Of The Week (11/30 till 12/06) once every two hours, so you can hear the full track exclusively over there. So don’t forget to tune in to hear it!


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Album Review


                 From Left To Right: Sense, STW & Arts The Beatdoctor (The Q4)

In this era of technology, digital productions and 320 kbps MP3’s, the crackling sound of vinyl and old samples are things a lot of music fans reminisce to. That’s why it’s an enlightenment to find new releases that provide you with organic sounds to escape from these times of plastic.

Even in 2010 there are artists who manage to do that: The Q4 is a very good example. The collective consisting of Dutch producers Arts The Beatdoctor, STW and Sense bring a new LP called ‘Sound Surroundings’. The full-length album includes a handful of tracks, such as ‘One Of These Days’, ‘Trouble With Me’ and ‘Look Again’, which are originally recorded for an EP in 2006. The EP never saw the daylight, so that’s why The Q4 decided to put these tracks on this official debut. 

Skilled
The productions on ‘Sound Surroundigs’ are topnotch. The three producers decided not to record all instruments, but choose to sample hundreds of obscure records and sound pieces instead. Apart from in example the saxophone on ‘Look Again’ and the Rhodes on ‘Split Personality (Part II)’, almost all instruments and sounds are sampled. Part 1 of ‘Split Personality’ can be found on Arts The Beatdoctor’s albumTransitions, but this follow-up has slightly different drums and another ending. It’s a good example of their perfectioning work and of how they can improve a track with the most minor bits and pieces. The skilled methods result in beautiful productions for tracks asOne Of These Days, ‘Look Again’ and ‘My Own Advice’. STW, Sense and Arts all have an individual style, but those three combined make it even better.

Dark
Next to some instrumentals, the album also includes tracks with vocals. All guest vocalists come correct, but Pax on ‘Demagogues’ and Terryman on ‘Goin’ Down’ definitely stand out. Last mentioned is the most uptempo song on the album and Terryman’s raw voice fits the productions perfectly. The Spanish vocals on ‘Oscuros Angeles’ don’t really fit the overall vibe of the album, while guest rappers Unorthadox and BLS are, just like Pax and Terryman, good picks because their ‘dark’ voices match the music.

Solid
‘Sound Surroundings’ is an amazing record with the productions as undeniable highlights. Arts The Beatdoctor, STW and Sense managed to release a solid debut. Tracks as ‘One Of These Days’ and ‘Goin’ Down’ are without a doubt some of the highlights, while ‘Oscuros Angeles’ is a let down between all good tracks. The three producers are The Q4, with only one piece of the puzzle missing to complete the quartet: you, the listener. ‘Sound Surroundings’ is a great record which should be heard, so we’re sure there are enough listeners who are eager to be the fourth missing piece of the puzzle.

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Rating: 8.5/10
More info: The Q4
Pre-order: HHV (+ Exclusive T-Shirt)

Just an ordinary guy always on the hunt for extraordinary music. Not just as the founder of The Find Magazine & Rucksack Records, but also as a freelance music journalist (bylines at Tracklib, Bandcamp, Wax Poetics, DIG Mag, among others) and—above all—out of love for all kinds of good music.