Search - Boom Bip :: Seed to Sun

A fantastic polymorphic journey.

Chris Wren | Chicago, Illinois | 12/18/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Boom Bip continues to take turntablism to new heights, and on Seed to Sun, there is no exception. As Mush records has called this, Boom Bip's sound is truly "avant hip hop": hip hop in the beat, yet nothing else can be considered a true hip hop innovation. Known for his prowess as a DJ, Seed to Sun is a progression of what was done on Circle, and a true solo album in that aspect: given the free reign to make as much beautiful music as he wants, Bryan's (Boom Bip's) prowess as a musician truly emerges here.With this record, very little is sampled: it is primarily a live album done by a one man band. Thus, all the instrumentation is live and put together by Boom Bip, while the electronic blips and screeches are the product of his messing with his own recording: playing things live, recording it, then cutting and enhancing that initial recording. Given free control by Lex records, Bryan truly takes initiative with it: the songs are extremely experimental and instantly hypnotic, as a track like "closed shoulders" properly demonstrates: seductive beats, drones, and interesting samples. Buck65's cameo on "The Unthinkable" is a definite change in the pace of the album flow, yet enjoyable: strong and hamering drums and squealing instruments rock throughout the track. "Newly weds" sounds like a circus wedding anthem gone tragiclly wrong, while the album then continues in a real neo-ambient style, similar at times to Boards of Canada yet borrowing nothing from the genre. Two highlights of the record remain "u r here", a funky yet extremely ambient style track with strong, fluid drumming combined with beautiful synth lines over it. The true highlight remains "mannequin hand trapdoor i reminder," featuring his old partner in crime Dose One. Dose's diction remains one of the most intruiging in hip hop today, and hearing this almost redux from the Circle cd is amazing. The way Dose and Boom Bip play off of each other is mesmerizing, and this track reaches increadible proportions. This CD really can transcend any genre, and as a piece of music, is a comprehensive and beautiful musical venture. The only requirement of it's listeners is of an open mind, and those who are willing to take the challenge will not be disappointed, not in the least bit."

Boom Bip. Boom Bleep Blip.

Wickerlove | Canada | 02/24/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"One of the luxuries of being a DJ is having complete creative control over your art, and Boom Bip, aka, Bryan Hollon, demonstrates this quite nicely with his spacey quirky brand of turntabilism. 'Seed To Sun' takes the DJ Shadow template, shifting back and forth between the post-rock of Tortoise and the IDM of a Boards Of Canada. Dotted throughout are interesting twists, eg, Kid Koala-type scratches, kitschy samples, and the ambient vibes of early Aphex Twin/Tangerine Dream. Although not lost in this minimalist mish-mash is the CD's warmth, trancelike yet charming at the sametime."

Cerebral, Thoughtful & Intelligent....(You need this album)

fetish_2000 | U.K. | 03/01/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Producer / DJ 'Boom Bip' (AKA - Bryan Hollon"), isn't your usual Hip-Hop Producer, instead of working with the usual thumping Bass / Beats, that most Hip-Hop producers work with. His is a far more Experimental / Avant-Garde sound, steeped in a melancholic, detached, brooding (largely) instrumental form of Hip-Hop, that borrows as much from Electronica, as it does Hip-Hop.



The first track "Roads must Roll", is the Hip-Hop equivalent of having a broadly instrumental ambient Folk, with scuffed dusty-beats, leading into a passage of ominous preset synths, and a looping violin sample, that breaks though the sound on occasion, and thus, feels more in-debt to soundtrack music than Hip-Hop, and this is topped off with the most subtlest of scratching, which feels more for dramatic effect, rather that showboating....a marvellous opening track, and (mostly) unlike anything else everybody else is currently in this field.



"Third Steam", changes tack slightly, with a weird off-beat bass, that provides the backbone of the track, and is slightly disorientating. As the track beings to gather pace, with wonky bass....piercing keyboards, burst into the fray, and punctuating the unusual ambience, in the same way that a dramatic/suspenseful section, may play out on a movie soundtrack.



A decidedly more upbeat affair comes in the form of "Closed Shoulders", which is a superb take (or imitation of...) the sort of complex 'Glitch Hip-Hop', that has been pioneered by the likes of "Prefuse 73". Think stuttering bass, and beats that jittery and move like a wind-up toy, and coupled with the fractured tumbling bass, easily avoid any criticisms of reptition in the album, and although far less frantic and volatile than Prefuse's work. It's still a elaborate example of the Cut 'N' Paste techniques used by both producers.



One of the (very) few vocal tracks on this album, is provided by Leftfield/Alternative Lo-Fi Rapper "Buck 65", who impressively deploys his, warped sounding Lo-Fi raps over a mellowed percussion, and a confrontational sounding arrangement, that almost certainly references 'Horror' soundtracks to some degree, with the haunting strings and background choir harmonies, working to Chilling effect.



"U R Here" pitches perfectly a combination of complicated stuttering Drums, with a droning use of synths.....that feels slightly at odds with the drum patterns, but this is brought into sharp contrast with the lush use of a (Sampled??) orchestration overlayed, over all of this. It's a complicated set-up for sure, and one that given the instrumentation being used, in theory shouldn't work....but it does, and does brilliantly. Fans of the cerebral Post-Rock / Indie-electronica, IDM music of "Four Tet", will be well served by this track.



"Awaiting an accident" mixes a almost tinderbox/jewellery box Melody with African-tinged drums, that then manages to chuck in a combination of 70's styled guitars & Horns, with a melody popping in infrequently, for a truly bizarre fusion of sounds (if thought about individually), but sonically this is amongst the most ear catching of melodies, on the 13 tracks on this album.



Boom Bip, who is no stranger to the world of Leftifield/Alternative Hip-Hop, hooks up with the Anticon boys (in this case "Doseone") on "Mannequin Hand Trapdoor I Reminder", and easily recalls the exceptional work done on their collabration album "Cirlces". moody melancholic downtempo thick ambient swirls and hums, and plucked guitar with drifting bass, overlayed with Doseone's free associative lyrics, is a revelation. It's sounds like its a lost track from their exceptional "Circles" album, and remains as cutting edge now, as it sounded on "Circles" back then.



Obviously, this is an album more suited for those that know what to expect from this album. If you've been accustomed to the Avant-Garde Hip-Hop of the 'Anticon' label, or you're a keen fan of instrumental Hip-Hop (in this case warped Downtempo Hip-Hop), then you should find that find this a breath of fresh air. As it sounds so different and intelligent to what's currently floating around. There are those that will consider this album to be: "Hip-Hop music to fall asleep to", as there are no head-nodding beats, or chest-beating lyrics to get off on. Instead this is a slow, thoughtful and considered album, for those that like their electronica, as much as their Hip-Hop, as this is a beautiful intergration of both genres. And if your familiar (or more importantly a Fan), of: "Four Tet", "Dabrye", "Prefuse 73", "Blockhead" & "CLOUDEAD", then I can't recommend this minor classic, strongly enough to you."