Album Reviews: French Class, Paige Drobot, Field Guide, and more

The other artist making big waves over Pascal’s productions is YSN Fab. Pascal initially saw Fab in a freestyle video on Instagram, blown away that such a talented rapper lived in Winnipeg. Although Fab came through the studio shortly thereafter, it took a while for his second visit to happen. But Pascal describes that second session as when he knew they had something and, “since then we’ve been locked in.” That session Fab recorded Nobody Loyal, his first single, which currently sits at over 156 thousand listens on SoundCloud alone. Pascal is tight lipped here but hints at big things to come from YSN Fab in 2020. Pascal, who doesn’t play an instrument or rap, is in the process of learning to DJ so he can be considered as a tour DJ for YSN Fab and Myazwe. Until then, as his producer tag says, “you already know Pascal cooking up, right.”

Malcolm-Jay

Rapper-producers are nothing new. From Pharrell to Q-Tip to Kanye, producers who also rap have been around. Even locally there has been sufficient representation through the years with artists like BBS Steve carrying the torch passed on by the likes of The Gumshoe Strut and mcenroe. Malcolm-Jay is another heavy hitter on that relatively short list. Producing since about 2012 and rapping much longer than that, Malcolm has developed his skills to the point where he is now giving back and teaching beat making. Originally starting with the occasional workshop at Studio 393, Malcolm was asked to start teaching a weekly workshop at Ndinawe on Selkirk Avenue, a youth drop-in centre. Now there for over a year and a half, Malcolm says that he just loves teaching the youth what he can. Teaching beat making and rapping to youth has also led Malcolm to a weekend workshop at the youth jail and now to his latest endeavour, teaching adults. After being asked many times about teaching hiphop producing to adults, Malcolm took the plunge in early 2020. At his office space on Donald St., for a very reasonable fee, Malcom-Jay teaches everything from “Intro to Hip-Hop Production” to “Business Tools for Artists” to “Intro to Rap Techniques.” Through his website, winnipeghiphoplessons.com, Malcolm is trying to do for others what no one did for him in his early days. He explains that, “this took me years to learn but it would have been a lot faster if someone had just shown me all these tricks.” He understands that the competitive nature of hip-hop hasn’t always allowed room for teaching and bringing up the next generation but he wants to see more collaboration instead. On the topic of an event like Beat League, Malcolm notes how important it is to get all those producers in the same room but would rather see them join forces somehow instead of actively competing against each other. At the same time, Malcolm recognizes that his style of hip-hop, more socially conscious and with a live band, often fits more with the local rock

crowds than the modern hip-hop scene. The fact that they can co-exist is what is important.

Ultimately, no two producers are alike. Some can rap, some can play instruments, some can DJ but none of these are prerequisites for getting into producing or beat making. With just a laptop and a free, easily downloadable program, you can start making your own beats. And with social media, it doesn’t take much to get those beats out into the world. It’s even possible, with the example of Murda Beatz from Fort Erie, to go from smalltown Ontario to being one of the most popular and successful producers in the rap game working with Migos, Nicki Minaj and Drake. But, as all of the producers interviewed for this piece stressed, it starts with showing up to events and supporting the hip-hop community locally

Local Spotlight

FRENCH CLASS TAPE 2

Tape 2 is the second release of Winnipeg-based artist Megumi Kimata, who goes by French Class. Upon first listen, this project is difficult to pin down. Does it make you want to dance? To dream? To laugh? After each listen, it becomes increasingly clear that the answer is D: all of the above.

This tight group of seven tracks, ranging from thirty seconds to three minutes in length is a unique experience. The diverse assortments of synths and sequenced drums make for a constantly entertaining listen, with a surprise at every corner. What may seem bizarre at first immediately becomes familiar, a truly impressive quality given the shorter length of the songs.

If you close your eyes and play this album from front to back, you will be taken on a magical, electronic twentyminute journey through space and time. It may take a few listens, but you will be sucked into a colourful, crazy world of flying cats and castles, exactly like the album art suggests.

Another intriguing quality of Tape 2 is the freedom that emerges from the lack of context, specifically in the song titles. The absence of lyrics on the tape and song titles like “Ancient Frog” and “Manatee” do not reveal much about the music, however, this becomes one of the most beautiful qualities of the record, as it allows one to dream up all sorts of landscapes and scenarios while listening.

The song titles are but a prompt for the imagination that ensues during every listen. With the help of your mind, this album becomes the sonic equivalent to your favourite Cartoon Network show: it’s a short, sweet glimpse into a vibrant world of magic and smiles.

The versatility of Tape 2 is equally impressive. Cuts like “House Tune” make use of more traditional houseinfluenced drum patterns, almost like something you’d hear on an early Daft Punk record. Other tracks like “Ancient Frog” sound like they could come straight out of the mellower parts of the anime Naruto. Despite this wide range of influences and connections, the album manages to meld together seamlessly, guiding your daydream one synth at a time. Olivier LaRoche

BIRDACROSSWATER DIRTY OMEN

Written and released during quarantine, this digital album available on Bandcamp is an outstanding example of how humans process feelings and experiences through creativity. birdsacrosswater’s music here is decidedly lo-fi and sun baked. This EP is the direct result of the covid-19 pandemic and is perfect for staying indoors for long periods of time, becoming anxious and/or infuriated by the news, finding solace in watching dust float around a room, and that subtle feeling of impending doom. These sentiments are all barely addressed but can be felt in the songs of Dirty Omen.

Running a total of 12 minutes and 27 seconds, Dirty Omen consists of five tracks with some of the songs being oddly reminiscent of some old-timey pop music with the rhythmic patterns, harmonics, harmonies, back-up vocals, synths, and use of saxophone. The EP also draws influences from a mix of genres like hip-hop, alternative, electronic, lo-fi, and ambient. The songs are punctuated by crisp vocals that pull no punches in their directness and language. One moment you are listening to some tunes you swear your grandma could have grown up with, then the lyrics splash over top reminding you that this is indeed a product of our time. Who am I kidding, my potty mouth grandma totally would have listened to a song with “motherfucker” in the lyrics back