(Photo By Sound Cloud)
“Sirens” (Big Cats! Remix) F/ Rapper Hooks & Maria Isa (listen/download)
Bringing something a little different to the site today. Electric Children are a Funk/Soul band from Minneapolis, MN. The band consists of five members and they all came together in the Fall of 2009. Their style is based on joint spontaneity and formation. They started out in the house party and bar circuits, eventually progressing to being the backing group for a Minneapolis rap duo by the name of Duenday. The band reached major accomplishments with the duo including winning the University Of Minnesota’s Spring Jam Battle Of The Bands and opening up for Rock band OK Go. Capitalizing off of their success, Electric Children worked on developing their own original content and branched out to performing on their own. Since then they have: released their debut EP Ride The Flow, covered a wide variety of venues including Milwaukee’s own StoneFly Brewery, and they even earned some radio time on Minneapolis radio station Radio K. So they’ve been very fruitful these past couple of years.
At the moment, they are pushing a remix to one of their singles. It’s been dubbed “Sirens” (Big Cats! Remix) and it enlists guest appearances from fellow MN residents, Rapper Hooks (The Tribe and Big Cats) and Maria Isa (Villa Rosa). Hooks and Isa happen to be rappers. The song was produced by Big Cats! and has been categorized as Live Band Hip-Hop. The production here is pleasant. It contains a graceful foundation, harmonious instruments, a gentle clapping element, and a sober-minded vibe. The hook is decent too. The vocals are likeable and the lyrics are deep. The verses are solid. Rapper Hooks steps up for the first verse and Maria Isa secures the second. Both artists provide neat flows, mindful wordplay, and apt rhymes. The purpose of their contributions was to explore the concept of what sirens and flashing warning lights truly involve. Notable lines from Hooks include: “A couple blocks away from home, I hear ’em coming from the station. Help you with they open arms and trap you like a mental patient. Ain’t no running from that. As a kid you can hang out in the clear, minimal fear. I’m sorry little homie there ain’t no going back. Too bad cause those are the facts. Good thing my knowledge ain’t tear apart as we staying intact.” Gripping opening bars right there. Overall, this is a hit and a very praiseworthy remix. For those who would like to compare, the original version of the record can be heard here.
**My Two Cents: This was a really cool track. I liked it a lot. It was something unique and thus a refreshing subject to review. I think Electric Children definitely have something special going for them. I am glad they reached out and shared their music. If readers agree, the band has two shows coming up. The first one is June 8th at Hell’s Kitchen in Minneapolis. Their second show brings them back to Milwaukee and takes place on July 13th at G-Daddy’s BBC Bar & Grill. The awesome thing about both events is that they will include one of the 414’s elite emcees, Klassik. So plan to step out and show support if you can. -MinM
