Search - Req :: Sketchbook

Coming from Nowhere, yet satisfying

Pantytec is my god, it should be yo | Pittsburgh, PA | 12/20/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you knew about the man known as Req One, and heard all of his works that came before "Sketchbook", chances are you would probably write this off as crap. But after hearing all of the "Daily Beats" series on Skint, his "One", and his "Brassic Beats" album, "Sketchbook" is just a natural progression of what Req has come to do. Starting out as a graffiti artist, Req knows his hip-hop. And he's not afraid to do something different with it. Some of the tracks on this album sound as if Req just took some dusty hip-hop 12"s on a old record player (you can hear the hum of the record player on a number of the tracks) to sample, while he played some instruments over it. Some of these tracks can be described more as Ambient pieces, such as "Symbolic 3", "Colours", and "Love Ache". My personal favorite is "Wasp Zither" in which an absolutely haunting jewelry box melody takes controls, with dramatic pounds of instrumentation in the distance. Powerful stuff. Many will hate on this album because they know what Req can do. But if you know what he can do, you'll appreciate this album for what it is."

Req who?

Josh | Somewhere, United States | 05/10/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This album kind of came out of nowhere, at least that's what it seems to me. Warp-Net.com had no mention of it up until it's release, so naturally, I was asking "Who or what is a Req?" I noticed "Sketchbook" in a small CD store downtown and had to pick it up, mostly just because it's on the Warp label. I was pleasantly surprised at what I heard when I put it in my CD player. The first reviewer is very right, it is all very Lo-Fi, kinda muffled sounding. . .but that adds to its charm.There are some really good beats here, and very subtle melody throughout the album. Yes, the ambient works do become a bit boring, but are enjoyable nonetheless.I must say, the big masterpiece of this album would be track number 13, "Wasp Zither". It's a very mellow track, the melody sounding of a music box almost. The beat is subtle here, but very heavy, like a heartbeat. It's an emotional song.Overall, this is a great CD, minus a song here and there (hence, only four stars)."

Another great Warp album from out of nowhere

M. Hilton | Indianapolis, IN United States | 03/13/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Warp does it again, exposing great modern music that can only be categorized loosely. Req first achieved fame as a graffiti artist in the UK, then, inspired by his friend Norman "Fatboy Slim" Cook, began dabbling in music-making. (His early releases are on Norman's label, Skint.)The result? Funky, raw, outsider music reminiscent of the Beastie Boys' instrumentals. The sound is aggressively lo-fi with a "basement tape" feel (in fact the whole album is in mono!). Some of the ambient experiments get a little tedious, but they do provide nice tension-breakers.Technology is making it possible for just about anyone to make a record nowadays. Sketchbook is proof that that's a good thing!"