We Plug to You… The Illersapiens – Elevate

img alt=”” border=”0″ height=”320″ id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609048792525445330″ src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i8enyZ2XAU0/TddYKKZQGNI/AAAAAAAAAho/HKGdwhMW9cY/s400/illersapiens.jpg” style=”display: block; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;” width=”475″ /br /div style=”text-align: justify;”Hi GOOD folks, here’s a story for you! Anbsp;friend of mine heard this UK Hip-Hop group by the name ofnbsp;bThe Illersapiens/bnbsp;while roaming the shops of London late last December and she was ever so kind to send me one of their songs (have no fear, I’ll be sharing it later on in this feature). After listening to it and more songs by the group, bThe Illersapiens/b have fast become one of the few UK Hip-Hop acts that I find myself constantly looking out for./divdiv style=”text-align: justify;”br //divdiv style=”text-align: justify;”I plug to you bThe Illersapiens/b, a seven-piece band hailing from South London, UK made up of bMr. Man/b (MC), Louis (drummer), Ollie (stringer), P-Riddimz (bass), Callum (sax), Dom (percussionist) and bKaty B/b (female vocalist). Some of you might recognize bKaty B/b from Rinse FM and popular hits such as “bLights On/b” and “bBroken Record/b” to name a few and her very excellent solo debut album biOn A Mission/i/b. In a recent interview with Heads High Music, the group’s lead eMCee – bMr. Man/b described their sound as an eclectic mix of genres that span Afro-beat, Hip-Hop, Garage and Reggae with basically no limits in creativity.br /br /a name=’more’/a/divdiv style=”text-align: justify;”This diverse sound that cuts across different cultures has often earned them comparisons to US acts like bThe Roots/b, bArrested Development/b and bDigable Planets/b amongst others. In 2009, the group released their debut mixtape biSoul Jam Slaughter Volume 1/i/b, a compilation of live tracks and improvisations that has become a cult classic amongst their fans and music heads alike. That year was a busy one for the band as they also released their debut EP biElevate/i/b; five tracks of which open up an entire window into the group’s alluring sound./divdiv style=”text-align: justify;”br //divdiv style=”text-align: justify;”The word ‘Illersapiens’ when translated literally means “better knowing” and with a forthcoming EP titled i style=”font-weight: bold;”Change/i,nbsp;we wait to see if this band from Brixton can continue to leave their indelible mark on underground UK Hip-Hop music but before then, we delve into their 2009 debut EP to remind ourselves of the goodness that is bThe Illersapiens…/b/divdiv style=”text-align: justify;”br //divdiv style=”text-align: justify;””bThe Sweetness/b” is the first track I plug to you from bThe Illersapiens/b, it isnbsp;off of their biElevate/i/b EP and is also the song (as I mentioned earlier) that introduced me to the group. This song takes on a romantic path and as introduced by bMr. Man/b,nbsp;is for the lovebirds that are clearly in the early butterfly stage of a relationship. Mr. Man handles rap duties on the verses of the song delivering a few notable lyrics relating them in such a playful manner that some might consider a bit cheeky. The band’s use of horns, drum kicks and keyboard chords matched with bKaty B’s/b harmonies on the mellow chorus add an extra soft touch to the already euphonic track./divdiv style=”text-align: justify;”bspan class=”Apple-style-span” style=”font-size: xx-small;”br //span/b/divdiv style=”text-align: justify;”bspan class=”Apple-style-span” style=”font-size: xx-small;””The Sweetness”:/span/b/divdiv style=”text-align: justify;”object height=”81″ width=”100%” param name=”movie” value=”http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F15644832″/paramparam name=”allowscriptaccess” value=”always”/paramembed allowscriptaccess=”always” height=”81″ src=”http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F15644832″ type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” width=”100%”/embed /object/divdiv style=”text-align: center;”ibspan class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color: #a64d79; font-size: xx-small;”“you are to me what Bob [Marley] was to reggae”/span/b/i/divdiv style=”text-align: justify;”br //divdiv style=”text-align: justify;””bIn a Daze/b” – another track from the biElevate/i/b EP – takes a slight detour from the previous track as this song holds more thought provoking lyrics. Once again bMr. Man/b delivers exceptionally on the verses showing diversity in his craft, this time using a different and rather switched-up quick fire flow over this musical milieu. bKaty B/b, with her vibrant voice, powers a sweet harmony on the chorus over a backdrop of bass drum patterns, snare injections and horn arrangements which are apparent throughout the song. I can see where the comparisons to bThe Roots/b come in since both bands largely employ and infuse live instrumentation in their music; a trait which is very noticeable on this song. It’s a great track overall and probably one of the band’s most popular ones./divdiv style=”text-align: justify;”bspan class=”Apple-style-span” style=”font-size: xx-small;”br //span/b/divdiv style=”text-align: justify;”bspan class=”Apple-style-span” style=”font-size: xx-small;””In a Daze”:/span/b/divdiv style=”text-align: justify;”object height=”81″ width=”100%” param name=”movie” value=”http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F15644981″/paramparam name=”allowscriptaccess” value=”always”/paramembed allowscriptaccess=”always” height=”81″ src=”http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F15644981″ type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” width=”100%”/embed /object/divdiv style=”text-align: center;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color: #a64d79; font-size: xx-small;”bi“I’m fresh like lucozade glucose”/i/b/span/divdiv style=”text-align: justify;”br //divdiv style=”text-align: justify;”“bElevate/b” – the EP’s title track – starts off with an old school rap flow similar to that of bThe Fugees/b for example. As you can tell by now and with this song holding an edgy underground feel, the group takes their chosen Hip-Hop genre and culture very seriously. bMr. Man’s/b thought provoking lyrics touch on varied life topics ranging from poverty to religious morals to music, giving a truly comprehensive meaning to the song’s title “Elevate” – a clear intention in the first place. It seems to be a personal one for the group and educational if you will, creating a conscious awareness to life through music in your mindset. A good combination of the bass and lead guitar is apparent through out the song with sax and drum toms coming together to bring this track to a beautiful end./divdiv style=”text-align: justify;”bspan class=”Apple-style-span” style=”font-size: xx-small;”br //span/b/divdiv style=”text-align: justify;”bspan class=”Apple-style-span” style=”font-size: xx-small;””Elevate”:/span/b/divdiv style=”text-align: justify;”object height=”81″ width=”100%” param name=”movie” value=”http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F17441501″/paramparam name=”allowscriptaccess” value=”always”/paramembed allowscriptaccess=”always” height=”81″ src=”http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F17441501″ type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” width=”100%”/embed /object a href=”http://soundcloud.com/teey/elevate”/a /divdiv style=”text-align: justify;”br //divdiv style=”text-align: justify;”As a bonus, we’ve also included a live version of this song culled from the biSoul Jam Slaughter Volume 1/i/b mixtape underneath for your listening pleasure. Although it’s shorter than the original, it gives you an idea of how the band sounds live on stage./divdiv style=”text-align: justify;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”font-size: xx-small;”bbr //b/span/divdiv style=”text-align: justify;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”font-size: xx-small;”b”Elevate (Live)”:/b/span/divdiv style=”text-align: justify;”object height=”81″ width=”100%” param name=”movie” value=”http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F15646141″/paramparam name=”allowscriptaccess” value=”always”/paramembed allowscriptaccess=”always” height=”81″ src=”http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F15646141″ type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” width=”100%”/embed /object/divdiv style=”text-align: center;”ibspan class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color: #a64d79; font-size: xx-small;””they exaggerate and fabricate, its ok they’ll tell the truth when they’re at the gates”/span/b/i/divdiv style=”text-align: justify;”br //divdiv style=”text-align: justify;”The two other tracks on the EP are “bBap Bap/b” and the aptly titled “bBrixton/b” which is inspired by and an ode to their hometown. With seven different musical personalities in the group, it is no surprise that the band has the ability to create a unique blend of music and interpretation of traditional Hip-Hop music. If you’re reading this blog, it is safe to assume that you also have an appreciation for GOOD music that’s not entirely mainstream and bThe Illersapiens/b fit right into that description. Considering their multi-faceted talent, witty lyrics, consistency and a bizarre name like ‘Illersapiens’, who wouldn’t be compelled to listen?/divdiv style=”text-align: justify;”br //divdiv style=”text-align: justify;”If you’re now drawn to the group just like I was and still am, then download their mixtape below and cop the biElevate/i/b EP on iTunes (link below) PLUS the Illersapiens have quite a number of shows and gigs lined up for the Summer. Check their website for shows and dates near you and definitely GO catch one and enjoy some GOOD music in anticipation of their sophomore projectnbsp;biChange/i/b./divdiv style=”text-align: justify;”br //divdiv style=”text-align: justify;”Download: a href=”http://www.theillersapiens.com/Downloads/The%20Illersapiens%20Present%20Soul%20Jam%20Slaughter%20Vol.1.zip”The Illersapiens – Soul Jam Slaughter Volume 1/a/divdiv style=”text-align: justify;”br //divdiv style=”text-align: justify;”Purchase: a href=”http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/elevate-ep/id330172907″The Illersapiens – Elevate (iTunes)/a/divdiv style=”text-align: justify;”br //divdiv style=”text-align: justify;”Keep Tabs on The Illersapiens – a href=”http://twitter.com/#!/Theillersapiens”Twitter/a // a href=”http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Illersapiens/142938910160?ref=mf”Facebook/a // a href=”http://www.theillersapiens.com/”Website/a/divdiv style=”text-align: justify;”br //divdiv style=”text-align: justify;”TemiY/div