Customer Reviews

Raw As Fuck

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Don't listen to the ONE negative review here. The dramatic prose and exceedingly long entry should say enough. This is a good album. There are a few tracks that are excellent which I include in my DJ sets. People often comment, "what track is that, I love it!". The people speak. So don't believe the punk. btw - "Punks" is the name of one of the tracks on this album. There is a remix by Krafty Kuts which is superb, if you can find it. "Dogs and Sledges" and "The Slammer" are other highlights on this album. Peace.

The Freestylers emerged in the late '90's as a new group of music makers that embraced the 'breaks' sound. They, along with the likes of Plump DJ's, have created a unique sound that has had people getting out on the dance floors like never before. Their previous albums, 'We Rock Hard' and 'Pressure Point' have cemented Freestylers firmly into the world of dance music but it is their latest album that brings them to the top. Here on 'Raw As F**k' some of the catchiest, fattest and most dancable music ever made can be found. The first single 'Push Up' is a perfect slice of pop/dance music that has topped charts around the world. The follow up single 'Get A Life' is just as funky and with pulsing beats, prefect rythym and of course the breaks, it's sure to get people up and dancing as well. But it's not just the dancable songs that catch the attention, the latter part of the album features some really pretty down-tempo moments that make 'Raw As F**k' all the more accessable. Whilst 'Raw As F**k' is a much more commerically accessable album than their previous ones, it goes down in history as one of the truly great albums released so far in the 21st century. Go out and buy 'Raw As F**k', don't download the singles, sit down start from Music is Music and listen right through, then go back and find you're favourites because there is something here for everyone. (also if you get a chance find the 'Push Up' video, as it is the best video I've seen in the last five years.)

The Freestylers 'Raw As F**k' album has enough booty shaking beats, down tempo moments and possible singles to keep any music lover happy. Go spend and enjoy.

I love this cd and I dicovered it in Amsterdam all they listen to there is music like this and its the best ever

It's a change from We Rock Hard and Pressure Point. I'm not sure what to think of it yet, but I was hoping it'd have more of the classic sounds that made me turn to the Freestylers. I would definitely recommend We Rock Hard and Pressure Point, but am still not sure what to think of this album. It's a bit more repetive and dance-like than previous albums. I wish some of the songs had (more) words.

this album definitely won't disappoint... especially for Freestylers' fans.
2 thumbs up!!

I have the previous Freestylers albums, We Rock Hard and Pressure Point. This album has more of the similar beats and cadences that define the Freestylers, but with the addition of several tracks of female vocals and slower, yet upbeat music make this a great addition to the collection! This CD has made me go back and enjoy my other CDs by this group. Definitely a must for any Freestylers fan.

For a few years from the late 1990s onwards, the Freestylers were a by-word for unbelievable breakdance music coupled with hip-hop, ragga and jungle sensibilities. Not only was this absurdly talented team of DJs capable of creating beats that got dancefloors going, they were also responsible for pairing these beats with vocalists such as Tenor Fly and the incomparable MC Navigator. They may not have reached the levels of fame which their talents deserved, but to a dedicated group of fans they were almost transcendently good. Then came this album, and everything changed for the worse.

Never let it be said that I'm one of those music snobs who only likes bands because they're underground or anything like that. I will, quite honestly, listen to anything good regardless of style, country of origin or marketability. This album, though, is appalling.

The most important thing to note, particularly from the perspective of a fan who's bought every album from "We Rock Hard" onwards, is that the vocalists are missing. That's right, Navigator's high-speed chants are nowhere to be found on this album and neither is Tenor Fly's unmistakable presence. Even the raft of collaborators on "Pressure Point" have taken a leave of absence, which leaves us with beats and samples to listen to. Not a bad thing, given the quality of the DJs on offer, you might think. That's where you'd be wrong.

The music here is the sort of stuff which is churned out by any DJs the world over. Big thick basslines and halfhearted drum breaks - nothing more, nothing less. Every now and then we're treated to the odd vocal sample, but these are nothing to write home about. Certainly, these are nothing to sing along to as could be done on the earlier albums. As a result, "Raw As F**k" slowly congeals into a mass of pointless sound, rather than the changing textures of the Freestylers' old work.

The two singles lifted from this album typify the problem. "Push Up" involves a catchy vocal line, but has nothing in it at all to justify repeated plays - let alone listens. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this was the first single, since it's light and airy enough to get the saturation radio play it was given without risking the delicate ears of teeny-boppers with something a little harder - something like Tenor Fly, for example. While the video was a bit of fun to watch, that doesn't count for anything here since it's the album that's on offer.

The second single, "Get A Life", is almost unlistenable and at best sounds like the Prodigy having a really bad day at the office. The old Freestylers sound is replaced with a phoned-in club beat which can be traded for any other track of the same vintage and nobody would notice the difference. Theoretically, this track could have been saved with an entertaining vocal, but instead the listener is treated to the annoying sample that gives the track its name. The overall effect, particularly when this track made its requisite radio and club appearances, is something like the terminally annoying "Crazy Frog" only worse, since it comes from a group who clearly know better.

So, why did the Freestylers do this to their fans? I'm not sure, but it wouldn't surprise me if money had something to do with it. After all, teeny-boppers are a prime demographic these days and everyone wants a piece. Sadly, this seems to have extended into areas where artistic integrity should still hold sway.

But surely, I hear you say, I'm being too harsh in saying that this is an album for fans of Christina Aguilera and her ilk. Hardly. During a part-time job in a CD shop, I was able to see who bought it - and the purchasers were uniformly teenage girls buying the latest offerings from the top of the charts. On one occasion, I even asked if the purchase was for a brother or a boyfriend - "Oh no, it's for me. I'm like the biggest fan of these guys. I can't wait for their second album to come out".