"I’ll be the jazzy cat"

The Proov E.P. Traditions made a bit of noise when it came out. A radio jock disrespected the record and kind of slept on it. But it’s all tradition that music, especially jazzy music, clashes with media ego’s. Check the book ‘De Verboden Saxofoon’ (ISBN: 90-6801-653-9). But what they are not, is boring. On the E.P. Shockwave, Rescue, Brainpower, Murth The Man-O-Script, Couzin Steve and Krewcial drop by. On the cuts Ill Cuizin and Masta Lee. Bringing correct shit from a fresh HipHop collective.

The Proov consist out of the lyricist Cee Major and Omar Rey, they met each other in the Leeuwarden HipHop scene, with on the switch board the Blue Monks. Although on this E.P. all tracks are done by Ronald Hartsteen, the credits show an impressive a.k.a.’s. On the album all the Monks will do their thing. Right now they are finishing ‘Traditions: The Album’. The Proove is licensed to Lube who powers it, that means that they do the marketing, plugging and the video clip. "Major record companies prefer to take on a finished product above developing their own from scratch." Says René CMC Phillips of The Proovs record label CMC/Soul Relation.

The past, the present and the future of our music.

‘What I’m Not’ is a track that keeps on going. Their E.P. ‘Speakerroom’ featured the song for the first time, ‘Speakerroom’ was released back in 1997. It caught the attention of René and Brian from CMC/Soul Relation. They re-released it, a remix, on their 'Double Dutch Project' and it did well. It even got airplay on the 'Stretch and Bobbito' show on Hot 97 in New York City.

In the remix, the Great is skating by over the beats and he also drops some lyrics on 'Raison D’Etre' (Reason To Be) together with all the other feature guest, except your Cousin. Steve hits on the track ‘Human Perfection’. You can still hear they got and still do get their inspiration from the Native Tongue Movement. The lyrics are tight without bullshit jiggy stuff. The flow is very laid back but with a good articulation, in other words you can understand what the fuck they are saying.

Their music is not the music you pump on a party to swing your ass or to get jiggy with on the dance floor. It’s music that you play in your walkman or at home while working, reading or while you travel in your mind. Play it in the lounge while lounging. But have to say ‘Time Shortage’ is moving my hips with a wicked break of an organ on the end of the song.

"Inch by inch, thought by thought / keep your mind by what you doing / cause the time is short" Time Shortage.

'Human Perfection' is a nice piece of music. It’s not the cliché couplet, verse, couplet, verse and last couplet. But it’s made out of three acts. Featuring Couzin Steve, Brainpower and the vocalist Rebekka Thenu. This is a piece of vinyl that is going to be a classic. That kind of classic that did not get a chance to shine because it’s in the shadow of the Top 40 music and just because peeps are to blinded by the glitter and glamour of the video’s they are watching. To me ‘Traditions’ is what I’m am and where I travel at the moment.

"Music is my safety and I don’t risk it", The Proov.

AQ

CMC/Soul Relation
P.O. BOX 2636
2002 RC Haarlem
The Netherlands
Phone: 0031-(0)23-5472014
Fax: 0031-23-5472016