Soulution’s ‘Sun Fragments’ Beat Tape (Full Stream & Cassette Tape)
It feels a bit odd to describe Sun Fragments Vol. 1 as “the very first beat tape by Soulution”. Because the Dutch producer already debuted back in 2009 with Shine Through. That album—featuring Bahamadia, Mr. J, Supastition, Braille, amongst others—got a Japan release via Goon Trax. Followed by collaborative releases with LMNO, Praverb (R.I.P.), The Regiment, as well as with the follow-up album Still Shining earlier this year and quite a lot of behind-the-emcees production work throughout the years.
And yet, here we are, listening to his very first all-instrumental project. But let me stop here with the tedious enumeration of his track record. Let’s talk music.
The musicality on Sun Fragments is what stands out to me. Soulution has used a wide array of hardware and instruments to craft these 16 beats, including an MPC2500, MPC2000XL, Micro Korg XL, Yamahah Motif XS8, Les Paul Epihone Gold Electric Guitar & Harley Benton Bass. That instrumental approach makes his beats sound quite warm and soulful, staying far away from the dull, repetitive side of the beatmaking spectrum.
Soulution’s own cryptic description of this beat tape: ‘Most fragments are well-hidden, requiring a very skilled person to uncover them.’ Good luck finding the solution: