Review: ALI - Fight Dub Club (Ft. J-REXXX and RUEED)
ALI is a Japanese-based global fusion indie jazz/funk band. I am somewhat new to the world of J-Pop, and I don't know them. Still, they had a hit with last year's Lost in Paradise, and look like mega-stars for the future. J-REXXX and RUEED seem to be indie artists (both rappers), though it is hard to find too much about them.
Despite this, the weirdly titled Fight Dub Club is a win for me. The opening seconds are driven by a running-wild saxophone, something we don't see often anymore. The artists quickly introduce themselves, before J-REXXX jumps off into a rap verse. It is speedy yet grounded. In an era where rap is getting duller and duller, this rap stands as a good contrast. The band helps contrast.
The main vocalist of ALI, named Leo quickly starts singing. Unlike the more hyper vocals in modern times, Leo's voice is rusty and grounded, almost industrial in its sound. This is supported by the funky jazz beat in the back. This weird contrast is certainly new and unexpected, working great.
The pre-chorus, on the other hand, is more restrained than the rest of the song. Focusing on the build. There is some nice piano here, but the main focus is Leo's vocals. Now suddenly switching to a new style with rapid speed.
By this point, the song has already shown it is something new, but the chorus cements that. Almost dreamy, the chorus builds with a Latin fusion style (they even speak in a bit of Spanish). The main attraction here is the contrast between Leo's vocals and one of the members. This female member has a great voice, which is thoroughly underused. But its usage in the "Oba, Oba" hook is fantastic. In contrast to the weighty vocals, the instrumentation is light and free.
RUEED then jumps into his rap verse. It certainly is weaker than J-REXXX, but still too strong for this song to keep up. I love a good fusion-filled giant track, but Fight Dub Club is so filled, it is near-dangerous. Instead of providing the room of a Leo verse, we are thrown in the chorus again. It is amazing the song has yet to collapse under its own weight by this point.
We then get a saxophone breakdown, which is excellent, before J-REXXX and RUEED enter again with another rap for the bridge. Once again, we are thrown into the massive and wild chorus, before the song ends, giving us a second to breathe.
Often times in song reviews, I question a song with the idea, "In 5 years, what is stopping me from playing a similar song?". With Fight Dub Club, the question fails to arise simply due to how unique the whole package is. In fact, the package is so fulled to the brim, that its power might limit its listen-count. Still, that did not stop previous massive songs, and I hope it won't limit this track.
Wow, so is this Rap Jazz Fusion (maybe not, i really don't know about genres that are this complex anymore)? This is great. I may have to listen to this too. We'll see. It's nice to see that a very criticized genre (rap) is being appreciated by you. So this must be of outstanding impact. I'll check this band often!
ReplyDeleteI'd call it rap/jazz fusion.
DeleteWeirdly enough, I really love rap. The issue is most modern rap songs lack the impact of 90s Hip-Hop, which is just amazing.
I just discovered them late last year, but this song is the first that grabbed me. I'd love to see how they go in the future!
Indeed! Well 90s Rap is also my favorite. 90s Rap has that very creative groove and luscious instrumentation and impeccable arrangement it makes you bask in full music glory. It is just the epitome of Rap. That is why I think what makes K-Pop Hip-Hop much more amazing. It makes grooves that aren't mediocre and empty.
DeleteWell, until recently. Modern K-Pop's Hip-Hop is dull. I think for K-Pop hip hop to return, the K-Hip-Hop scene has to reinvigorate itself. Which I hope it does.
DeleteIndeed, but idol hip-hop is too plagued by SM tropes or styles. Many hip-hop groups don't even have the identity nowadays. I hope it will be better.
DeleteCall me weird, but I feel the SM rappers have an identity in this generation. You can tell a Taeyong rap, and you can tell a Mark rap. Both have unique styles and flow, providing creative flow. Personally, I still prefer the H.O.T rappers or the TVXQ/Super Junior rappers (Yunho's verse in the new version of Hope is great), but I get the feeling that they are trying to showcase some great rappers as vocalists. In some cases, such as Yunho's, it can work great, but not always. Still, SM styles are not always hits, and I too hope for better.
DeleteNo you are right, there is difference and technical creativity in both SM acts (although you guessed me right, for me they're not just, you know Eminem/Drake/Dr.Dre level of technical rhythm and poetry). SM styles is impeccable but it gets weaker (on the artist side) when anybody tries to copy it.
DeleteAgreed :)
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