SOUP

For as long as I can remember, hip hop has been a gateway to some of my favourite musicians. Not only because of the bonafide rappers that still perdure to this day, but mostly because of the cornucopia of samples. Jazz, soul and funk have all lent their hooks and riffs to be sampled, manipulated and interpolated to create a brand new beast.

Enter Chairman Maf, straight outta Bristol, and his latest, surprisingly last release, Soup. A mostly chilled affair, Soup samples from the classic, like Consuelo Velazquez’s 'Besame Mucho', to the shrilly falsetto of Minnie Riperton’s beautiful 'Lovin’ You'. Along the shuffle - hindu chants, flutes, celestinas and many an ethereal voice.

It might feel like a peaceful album and for the most part it is, but there’s a certain air of panache in every track. I could picture a re-scoring of Get Carter with a few tracks from here, like ‘Liar!’, the suave downtempo track that stands above the rest, like Michael Caine in a pub full of miners drinking from thick beer mugs.

Whatever reasons Chairman Maf has to suggest this is a last album are his and his alone. I’d venture to suggest he will try a different style under a different name. If he feels everything in his current incarnation has been said, Soup is more of a grandiose tangerine sunset over the cold North Sea than a cold shot overlooking dilapidated gas works.

Samuel Valdes Lopez