These tracks evoke images of a rock star. Not like a guitar wielding party celeb, but a star made of rock. The rocky, sandy terrain of Cape Verde and the rock hard beats blended with glittering electronics and victorious elevation. While they fit very well with recent output from the bass music and beats scenes, they actually come from a producer named J. Beats who arrived at a similar mindset entirely of his own accord. He starts with hip hop and then draws inspiration from his homeland of Cabo Verde for a style he refers to simply as CV beats. Rather than pick one of the many styles popular on the islands, he pulls from them all. C.A.B.O. Zouk Kuduro Love Tarraxa Hop, the title from a recent release of his, is a good example of his take on the matter. He’s been based in Brockton, Mass, for a few years and emigrated there during high school. He often works with a vocalist named D. Lopes who considers himself the music ambassador for Cape Verde. J. usually writes his tunes with the intent of finding a vocalist for them. These two tracks are no exception, even though they stand so well as instrumentals. Especially “Strawberry”. If you are a vocalist and would like to get on one of these tracks, holler at him through his Youtube account. (Image by Justin Mezzell)
J. Beats – “Strawberry”
[audio:http://culturesystem.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Strawberry.mp3]
J. Beats – “Brought The Stars To Me”
[audio:http://culturesystem.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/BroughTheStarsToMe.mp3]
