THE SYNTHESIS EP - Hydroponic Sound System
Released November 2002
record - ep
Catalog # : BHH2056

Hydroponic Sound System follows up their 12" single release of “Family Man” (Bomb/BHH2054) with Synthesis EP – a six song EP that demonstrates the group’s mastery of multiple styles and their ability to construct fat joints for the clubs.

TRACK LISTING

Thesis Side
Play The Role
Wake n’ Bake
Trying To Get Love From A Record

Antithesis Side
Lagos, Michigan (72’)
Shu Bop Shu Bop
Beats From Cameroon

Hydroponic Sound System follows up their 12" single release of “Family Man” (Bomb/BHH2054) with Synthesis EP – a six song EP that demonstrates the group’s mastery of multiple styles and their ability to construct fat joints for the clubs. The thesis side of this record starts off with the extremely thick “Play the Role” featuring MC Bavu Blakes. Bavu’s rich vocal tone and fluid delivery glides over, around, and in between Hydro’s sonic soundscape of dusted drums, stand up bass, distant theremin, and Latin guitar inflections. They re-team with M*Y*K and Iphlomatix for a new version of “Wake n’ Bake” from their 2000 release Routine Insanity on Sound Evolution/Universal. “Wake n’ Bake” is spaced out hip-hop at a drum n’ bass tempo and MYK absolutely murders the frenetic beat. “Trying to Get Love From a Record” is a medium tempo, smooth instrumental that straddles the line between downtempo and hip-hop with a little help from the 36th chamber.

The antithesis side of this record consists of three instrumentals for the clubs that have a heavy emphasis on tight percussion. “Shu Bop, Shu Bop” is a rump shakin’ afro-beat/hip-hop jam with big horn arrangements, tweaked out keys, tribal percussion and beat boxing. “Lagos, Michigan (72’)” is another up tempo instrumental that sounds like “Soul Makossa” colliding with late 80s hip-hop. Call and response vocal bytes and tasteful scratching from Rerog add extra flava. The last song, “Beats From Cameroon” is a polyrhythmic break that references mid 70s African soul music. Hydro’s blending of live instrumentation with crate classics makes for an infectious combination.

Hydroponic Sound System released Routine Insanity in November of 2000 and the underground press took notice as it racked up great reviews in Urb, CMJ, and XLR8R (which compared it to 3 Feet High and Rising and It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back). They’ve appeared on numerous Bomb compilations as well as overseas compilations for Stone Groove and Timewarp, and have recently opened for national acts ranging from Snoop Dogg to Anti-Pop Consortium. Bavu Blakes is one of Texas’ nicest MCs with a big following in Dallas, Austin, and Houston and his debut CD Create and Hustle was released in the summer of 2002. M*Y*K is a member of The Burn Unit as well as his own project, Iphlomatix.