Description
FIN NOVEMBRE 2022
Unlike countless previous campaigns for his established labels Finders Keepers, Twisted Nerve and various other imprints, Andy Votel hasn’t come here today to try to persuade you to buy his latest record. From the quietest stall on a very niche market these late-to-the party U.K rap recordings simply NEEDED to be released, for sanity’s sake. And if it’s taken 30 years to do so, then so be it. Dirty laundry doesn’t air at the bottom of the basket. Demons don’t exorcise themselves. Even if you’re not a feline fan, this cat is now out of the bag. Emanating from a “prehistoric” existence, near the end of the last millennium, schoolies Votel and his slightly older college mates, were once best recognised in Mancunian clubs and bars as teenage vinyl nerds and bum-fluffed battle-rappers under the collective name “Violators Of The English Language” (which in acronymic form explains Andy’s own exotic pen-name). As steadfast supporters of the 80’s/90’s Brit-core rap scene coming out of London, the multicultural “Violators…” Mancunian accents were perhaps a bridge-too-far to secure dream-job contracts for humble labels like Kold Sweat and Music Of Life. An unlikely constructive meeting with Gang Starr’s DJ Premier (while Andy helped out at a radio station) and playing warm up DJ sets for countless US rap hero’s might have temporarily added inspirational fuel to the fire, but after an active period combining graffiti, rapping, scratching, obsessive record digging and beat making into their daily operations, adulthood eventually began to rear its unwelcome head. The tragic teenage death of one member was shortly followed by another’s young parental commitments, and then came the concept of “proper jobs”, an avenue that Andy would then partly evade by becoming a DJ and designer for labels like Fat City and Grand Central (who soon invested interest in the crews instrumentals) and the next chapter is now committed to a fertile Discogs database history. A decade later Andy Votel (with his reluctant moniker) and his digging skills would begin to provide direct sample material for the likes of Madlib, Mos Def, JayZ, Nas, Dr Dre, Ghostface Killa and Action Bronson amongst others, and the “Violators…” black book of break-beats and catalog numbers soon began to feed a same-but-different rap beast.But who knew, or indeed cared, that meanwhile, the five ageing North Westerly rappers and DJs who had first honed their dyed-in-the-wool abilities and attitudes at Stockport College back in 1992 had made indelible stains on each other’s lives. With years, even decades of scant or non existent communication each member of the crew, in isolation or with a wider group of associated participants, failed to permanently hang their mics up. Whether written on buses, building sites, in hospitals, at poetry slams, art initiatives or killing the poolside boredom during the kids weekly swimming lessons… nobody had stopped penning rhymes nor developing those teenage ideas. Those very spoils adorn this disc. The sell-by date couldn’t be less relevant.For a project that has taken thirty years it would be totally inadequate to call the formation of Hypocritical Beatdown Records a lockdown-project. There’s a deep history and psychology in these records by Violators Of The English Language and their spin-off groups Magnets (Rap Group) and ProVerbs, that combines stage-fright, loss, pride, creative-schizophrenia, racial inequality, surrealism, personal politics, brotherhood, artistic-constipation, better judgment, love, anti-love, soul searching and much more. The one remaining untapped energy source here is perhaps FEAR, refreshing when used correctly, but never imposter syndrome. As maligned and mutated as this British Hip-Hop might appear to be, it could not be more pure. Each member of all of Violators Of The English Language crew were committed to this cause as soon as the doors opened. They rapped on stages before they had even tasted beer or lost their virginity and the curse had already taken hold in the years when these youngsters still had to be back home before dark and it has never left their bloodstreams. That’s why this record NEEDED to be made. Completed, recorded, exorcised, committed to vinyl, rotated and liberated.Parallel universes and time travel aside, Hypocritical Beatdown have assembled to do one thing… To make progressive new music without deterring from the parameters that still defined Hip Hop 30 years ago. Rapping over chunks of obscure old records? Is that too much to ask? A male and female crew of multi-cultural origin comprising Black & White Angleterrians, with Welsh, Cantonese, French and Hebrew heritage ensuring that English isn’t the only language getting Violated in the process. As well as Andy Votel taking care of both production and part of the microphone duties, some might recognise fellow MC and solo recording artist Figure Of Speech as a prominent voice here. The trio of Magnets (Rap Group) sees Andy also joined by local B-Girl legend Jeni Chan aka Penny Chew, and rapper and DJ Benjamin Hatton who has previously recorded with Kid Acne, The Mongrels and Sheffield’s Invisible Spies long-running squadron. Widely respected visual artist Rick Myers (now living in Massachusetts) also contributed scratches for many of these recordings via file sharing and custom dub-plates to keep the “Violators…” authentic line-up in tact, as well as galvanising the crews semi-reluctant art-school roots. Extra production credits for the label also go to Sean Canty from Demdike Stare and the late great Dan Dwayre aka Black Lodge (Mo Wax) who sadly passed away during the completion of these recordings. The members of Violators Of The English Language who you’ve not yet heard of will quickly make themselves known as the needle drops on this long-mooted debut vinyl release.