The Mad-Hop Project – Music Review

The Mad-Hop Project – Music Review

Well folks…the Mad-Hop approach to music might be completely unique…but I’m not so certain the management is! There is a sea of information to go through on this project…and like typical promoters tend to do…they’ve left it up to me to sort through it all.

Let me make myself abundantly clear to all promoters out there – make it extremely easy for people (reviewers & fans) to get the information and you’ll find yourself rewarded every time.

Cause at the end of the day…I’m here to review the music! It just so happens I tend to dig like an archaeologist through social media and online materials while I’m listening…but even I might have to make an exception here. There is truly a lot of info…and to tell you the absolute truth, there’s an insane amount of talent here on this music from The Mad-Hop Project, which I believe is actually a music-label with a whole showcase of artists. And I would LOVE to be giving credit to those individuals who are responsible for this excellent music…but I’m going to have to assume this is a complete team effort and collaboration from them all over there because I can’t seem to find out which album, or which artists these songs belong to! I have scrolled for what seems like forever on the Mad-Hop pages and I can’t find any record of these songs, or who’s responsible for the making OF them. See where I’m going with this? It’s a great thing to promote the music and get it heard, no argument there…but one might wonder why someone wouldn’t want to take the extra time and effort in promoting the actual material itself, rather than just slip an album under the office door or into the ol’ mailbox and hightail it…

Anyhow…as I’ve said…I’m here to review the music. Regardless of how it gets here, who sends it, or what labels it has on it…this is what I do; and you know I love it. From what I can see…this is all coming out in February…possibly coming from an artist known as Moment, on an EP called Yeah I See. At least I think that’s an artist…it could literally refer to a ‘moment’ from the Mad-Hop files…

I also love every inch of the six tracks I do have from this mysterious record label. Starting off with a track called “First Step” not only seemed logical, but also ended up being entirely rewarding. The beginning starts out like the mother-ship from E.T. landing in the forest to take him home (post phone-call of course) and then heads on into a synth-infused beat with a quick vocal-sample at the end that virtually lets you know this EP….this collection….this batch of songs or whatever you want to call it…is about to come vibrantly alive.

Pushing into the second track, “Beautiful” is as the title suggests. The electro sounds they’ve found to use as a main melody-line here are freakin’ fantastic! I love the tone and the pulse…there’s real LIFE and movement in this track; the kind you truly can’t help but groove to. While this particular cut might represent something a little more a-typical in the electro-genre, the Mad-Hop Project has a wide-range of impressive ideas, skills and innovations in sound still to come.

For example, the following track I’ve got here, “Collective Minds,” is a real gem of ingenuity. The production on this track is sickeningly-good…each sound is just perfect in tone and clarity, and the song itself is certainly one of the more addictive & unique that I’ve heard in a while now. I love the melancholy of the main electro-line…and with the sporadic electro-elements & effects thrown in – this track shows a real mastery of musical atmosphere. From what I read online, the Mad-Hop Project could virtually consist of members found all over the world…so…well…whomever you are, fantastic job on “Collective Minds.” I truly enjoyed it and I wish I could give you all the credit in the world! Moment, is that you???

After a brief stop in a jazzy-electro, slow-pulsing number called “What?” we find ourselves back into the land of subtle and brilliant innovation in the following cut “Three Moons.” I’m trying to place the opening electro sounds…I’ve used them myself I just can’t remember if they come from my Kaosillators or my keyboards…

In any event, this song is pure sly-genius. Everything from production to sound-choice to assembly…this song is just incredible for its texture, substance and atmosphere. Hauntingly chilling in a way, emotionally desolate and claustrophobic in sound, this track even has BRILLIANT simulated scratches in it that make my music-producer bone go rock-solid. This is an audibly-amazing track to strap on the headphones to and just let yourself disappear into the world of Mad-Hop.

Second time today that someone has reminded me of the early work of Prefuse 73. With a playful synth-lead and bouncy tone, Mad-Hop lightens up completely here on this final track, “Where Is My Lighter?” As bizarre as it kind of is amongst these other five tracks, the overall package of six we have here certainly serves as an excellent sampling of what these guys are doing over there in the Mad-Hop Project.

And who knows…maybe I’m way off-base in my earlier rant in this review…maybe they want that anonymous presentation to represent the unity of them all being in this together as one; that could very well be the case. Whatever that scenario may be, what I can tell you is that the music being put out by the Mad-Hop Project certainly deserves a good listening, there are some truly incredible sounds coming out of my speakers when I play these songs and you better believe I’ll be digging hard into the rest of what this label and music-project has to offer my earholes.

Find out more about them (kinda, sorta, at least a little bit…) at https://soundcloud.com/mad-hop

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