Constant Utopia

Since they started doing interviews, The Constant Deviants have told people that they had two full, unreleased albums recorded: one from '95-'96, and one from '97-'99. This one, Concrete Utopia, is the '95 one and it's pressed and available now on double vinyl from Six 2 Six Records.

Like I wrote in my review of their "Problem Child" 12", their music has a real understated feel to. Nothing flashy, just smooth samples, fresh cuts for hooks, and a mellow flow from M.I.C. There's no party or danceable stuff on here, nothing remotely pop, and barely any guests. Only One Speaker Supreme appears on "Violence Interlude," which is pretty much a fresh single verse freestyle over a cool, atmospheric beat.

But that's not to say there aren't any surprises to be found. For starters, the album starts out with an uber-serious song on the horrors of war.

"If I get home, will I remember this?
Medics bag the body, send their names through the system.
My man got hit: grenade victim.
I'm laid in the cut,
Watchin' tears droppin'.
Me and him got drafted in.
Everybody else laughin';
To them, he died for his country.
I wanna know:
Would the president die for me?"

Concrete Utopia is a perfectly preserved time capsule of the mid-90's scene, so it does have more similes and generic punchlines than it needs: "I blow up spots like Cambodians," "I cut throats like Mexicans," etc etc. But being that it's a time capsule, it makes it almost as endearing as much as it's a drawback. And the quality production definitely smooths over any lyrical bumps the songs have. And DJ Cutt kills it on every single song! Really, at the end of the day, the smooth, head-nodding vibes and Cutt's masterful work are what I take away from every moment on this album. If this is your kind of hip-hop, you're gonna love this, because it's a consistently exemplary example.

And this is all unreleased, unheard material. "Problem Child" and their other singles are not on here. There is an exclusive remix of their debut 12", "Competition Catch Speedknots," though.

This is limited to 300 copies, which... for a double LP in a picture cover is barely any higher than the standard cost of a new album. If you've been a fan of Constant Deviants indie 12"s and radio rips, waiting for their shelved material to finally come out... or if you're just appreciative of the subtler, smarter side of 90's hip-hop, then this is absolutely it. The sound quality is top notch, and the music lives up to expectations. And it's still available (click here), so don't miss out. You'll want to support, too, because Six 2 Six have a lot more in their vaults that we'd all love to see follow in Concrete Utopia's footsteps.

Introduction of a Character Problem Child

You know what's frustrating? When you heard a cool song once on the radio, but you weren't sure what the name of it was or who it was by... and as time passes, you're looking for that song but never find it. Eventually, like 15 years later - thanks probably to the internet - you finally find out what that song was... and it was never released, and you still can't get it! With so many shows playing exclusive DAT recordings or demo tapes, it's a sadly recurring story for fans of indie, 90's hip-hop. But at least one of those cases has finally been resolved satisfactorily.

The Constant Deviants were one of those artists whose demos got played on Stretch and Bobbito in the mid 90's. They're essentially a Baltimore crew, but I think at the time they were staying in Jersey when they broke into the east coast indie scene. And while they did go on to drop a couple of 12"s over the years, including some stuff through Buds Distribution which you've probably seen around, hardcore connoisseurs were stuck with nothing but dodgy radio rips of two of their best cuts: "Problem Child" and "Feel That." Well, Six 2 Six Records (that label I just guest blogged for) has stepped up to correct that. In fact, you might remember me blogging about them early in the year, saying how they needed a little encouragement to get their stuff the proper final treatment, right? Well, they've done it and this is it. 8)

"Problem Child" b/w "Feel That" comes in a fresh picture cover and is pressed on clear vinyl in a limited pressing of 500 copies. For those who haven't been waiting impatiently all this time and don't know what to expect: Constant Deviants aren't really on that rugged, rah rah tip, but more of a smooth, summer cool out kinda vibe. Think a little bit Unspoken Heard or early Juggaknots. They've got some nice, quality scratches by DJ Cutt who clearly knows what he's doing, but it's all played very low-key. There's no hectic scratch frenzy break-down, but the cuts are there, adding another level. And similarly, M.I.C. doesn't go for showy punchlines or hyper-kinetic spitting... just an assured, easy-to-listen-to flow. He comes with a message that's essentially the same as 3rd Bass's "Problem Child" - natch - though presented in a little more of a reserved, autobiographical manner.

"Problem Child" is undoubtedly the one for me, but "Feel That" has a cool, distorted sonic loop as the driving sample, which is really addictive. And this 12" doesn't just finally give us these two songs in pristine sound quality for the first time, plus instrumentals... There's also a "Problem Child" remix. It's almost a cross between the two songs, with the vocals from the original "Problem Child" (of course), but set to an instrumental that's more in the vibe of "Feel That."

At the end of the day, it's all good music. It may not be the most attention-grabbing "oh shit; I need that!" material to come out of the limited scene; but if you appreciate hip-hop's subtle side, you're sure to be feeling everything on here. And like their music, the pricing is also more down-to-Earth than most of the other limiteds these days, which definitely helps. So for the heads who've been holding onto low-quality cassette rips of these songs, it's definitely a happy ending.

Do You Want Quality Indie Hip-Hop On Vinyl Or Not?

Do you want quality indie hip-hop on vinyl or not? Well, a new record label that's apparently sitting on half a vault's worth of classic, 90's indie material, isn't sure if you do.

The label's called Six 2 Six Records, and actually they're sort of a revival of Launchpad Records, who put out a handful of "raers" circa 1997. Now they're back with most of the old roster plus more ill "random rap" stars like Constant Deviants, Steve Colossal and Sparrow the Movement. I can't tell you how many EBay auctions I've lost for Sparrow material! lol So yeah, they're working on new material... but even more exciting is the fact that they're sitting on tons of vintage, unreleased material by all these guys.

But according to Verge at the T.R.O.Y. blog, they're waiting to hear from us fans on whether to actually press all this up on vinyl (and CD), or just dump them on the market via "digital release." It looks like their initial plans are to release one 12" from Sparrow ("Flows Of Death" b/w "Armageddon") and one from Constant Deviants ("Feel That" b/w "Problem Child"), and then just kinda see how it goes. Other projects that may or may not see a proper release include a Global Platoon LP, and two full-length unreleased albums by Constant Deviants and Sparrow (apiece).

So it's up to us to to let them know there's a market waiting for them and that they shouldn't just box up all their DATs for another 15 years. You can do that by following their blog, which they've been posting a lot of spec artwork on, and joining their Facebook group. And if you need further convincing before you jump aboard, they've also got a Youtube channel, which is full of the hot songs they've got in their arsenal.

So that's it, guys. Ball's in your court now.