By Jim Rowland
French hip-hop producer Ugly Mac Beer, with more than 20 years of experience in the industry, returns to his youthful passions and ventures into synth-punk production for the first time with his upcoming album ‘Broken Ill’, bringing to fruition an album he has dreamed of making since the age of 16.
The album features various collaborations, with a diverse array of rappers from various backgrounds including the iconic Princess Superstar, a prominent figure in the ’90s underground scene, French rapper Mynameisleonidas, who has contributed to a significant portion of the album, as well as singer Fabrice Gilbert from the French punk band Frustration and Mac Beer’s long-time collaborator and friend, The Real Fake MC aka OP18.
‘Broken Ill’ is a pretty wild album, mixing up the influence of many different genres and artists, focusing on vintage synth and beat sounds with mostly rap style vocals and a serious punk rock attitude to boot. ‘Press OK’ and ‘AI Sucks’ lean so heavily toward the sound of Kraftwerk, they almost act as a tribute to the German legends, whilst the likes of ‘Broken Ill’, ‘New Area’, ‘Bastille Vichy’ and ‘Wolfie’ characterise the bulk of the album as bass-driven, dark synth-punk, with a hint of Sisters Of Mercy and Suicide in places.
Elsewhere, ‘Trust My Uh-Oh!’ and ‘It’s Not A Dream’ take things back in a primitive 80’s synth-pop direction with primitive electronic beats evident on the excellent bass-driven synth-punk of ‘My Name Is Tim’, which has a ring of Devo to it.
Other highlights include the dark, hypnotic vibe of ‘Broken Glass’, chosen as the current single, and the claustrophobic album closer ‘FAYP’, with a similar vibe at a faster pace.
‘Broken Ill’ is a heady mix of different vintage electronic sounds, rap and punk that is both engaging and fun whilst at the same time having some seriously dark undertones.
- ‘Broken Ill’ will be released tomorrow (Friday 22 November).
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