Faster Than Light Feature - Trayce Chapman's "Black Deku"
Trayce Chapman released his newest EP
“Black Deku” on Monday June 10th to all streaming platforms. The EP is around 12 minutes long and consists of 4 tracks.
For this Faster Than Light Feature, there are 4 points of emphasis that stand out about this project.
- Composition
- Sound Selection
- Thematic alignment
- Vulnerability
One thing I’ve always loved about Trayce as an artist since getting know him and his work, is the value he places on intention. It’s not enough to say that he is always intentional, rather his intention always stands out. In my opinion that’s what makes him different from other artists.
Of course when you think about how long Trayce has been doing this, it’s both experience and prowess that allow the execution of his ideas.
Composition in today’s soundscape is truly a lost art. Mainly because there are such linear views on what composition is for music, especially in hip hop. For example, “dynamic composition” has been seen to be variance in beat selection, how tracks are ordered, or beat changes in the middle of songs. I think what is special about the composition on this project is that Trayce is leveraging other means of composition in the mix of his songs to generate dynamicism.
An example that comes to mind is the very first song “What is a Hero?” Where towards the end, the beat seamlessly shifts into a chop and screwed version of hook. It’s not a dramatic shift that jerks you out of the presented vibe, but I do believe it forced me as a listener to lock in.
On the modern day DAWS there are a plethora of ways to manipulate sound in simple ways, but most times it’s engineers Copy Paste for certain parts of song: Reverb, EQ, Radio Effects, Autotune/Pitch Correction, layering tracks, etc.
In the song “The Weather” what stands out is his use of various sound manipulation for each part of his written composition of the song. So now, you have his pen meeting his recording experience in real time, which takes the song from good to GREAT.
I personally feel that “The Weather” should be the leading Single for this project.
Composition also extends itself into the sound selection. I really liked every single beat on the EP. I always think sound selection is a culmination of brand, personality, and musical inspiration. With that being said, Trayce Chapman fans will not be disappointed on that front.
In addition, the thematic alignment for the project referencing the popular anime “My Hero Academia”, lends die hard fans of the fictional work a generous head nod.
Dark Deku - My Hero Academia
Without spoiling too much, Trayce aligned his life and music with the experiences that the main character Deku had during a critical juncture in the series. It’s kind of an IYKYK kind of Easter Egg in the project, and I love stuff like that.
We’ve all come to know Art as a therapy, and "Black Deku" is no different. Trayce told me that this is one of those Vulnerable projects. I think the best thing about vulnerability is that it reaches so many people for so many different reasons. Experiences don’t have to one to one, or maybe they could be one to one, but what it does more than anything is Inspire. That’s what it’s about. Inspiring one another. Again, completely on theme with the anime as well.
The project is digestible, has TONS of replay value. I personally appreciate this model more because I also am into releasing EPs. I think 4-6 songs is the sweet spot for projects for independents right now who want to do more than just spam singles because that’s what “influencers” keep telling them to do.
For all the reasons above, I’m giving the project
5/5 Hyperdrives, as the project is most assured to touch you Faster Than Light.
You can find "Black Deku" on all streaming platforms. Simply Search Trayce Chapman. But to help you out we've got Spotify and Apple Music Below. Check it out!
Spotify
Apple Music
Follow Trayce Chapman on Social Media
Instagram - @traycechapman
Interested in a Faster Than Light Feature? Reach out to @trackyon.music on instagram.