Over sixteen salubrious Hip-hop instrumental tracks, Native Sunz, comprised of STIXX JONES, FRANK REED, and J.ALLEN, collude together in manifesting their love for the craft of beat-making by operating over a heavy hand that dips into old-school Hip-hop aesthetics and outlines an ingenious blueprint for their most recent adhesively tight instrumental album titled, 'L'appel Du Vide.'
Here, the Baltimore-bred beat-makers pack their touchstones of Hip-hop influences into a decked-out audible knapsack buzzing with vintage-sharp drum tones, orchestral horns, and string samples, the rare Soundcloud-grinning Trap-house-winking 32nd note hi-hats, and often, the infectious nostalgia-inducing vibes everyone fancies lingering within their memory all-day. Operating like the varified Hip-hop soundtrack that could accommodate any significant day.
'L'appel Du Vide'—inaugurates with an opening track titled, "MOTHERLESS CHILD," that exercises an excerpt from a crucial interview with the longest-serving state senator in Nebraska's history—and the first-ever African-American to run for Governor in the Midwestern state—Ernie Chambers. Here, over a laboriously crooning trumpet sample that solemnly drones in the distance through much of the playback, the egalitarian Politician sheds a blaring light on inequality with a speech that influenced droves of very-young and forward-thinking minds for generations to come. It gives this Record's prologue-like introductions a heavy-weighted introspective thud behind it. It's almost like a profound sentiment you'd imagine oozing from an LP festooned with some of the most influential and innovative Rappers of the decade laying down critical introspections over keen hit-maker productions. That's the sort of imagination 'L'appel Du Vide' provides, as it reflects like Hip-hop LP's instrumental soundtrack without much laborious thought.
With a cadence that leans back into its driver's seat, edges smoothly into gear more suited for cruising, and sets up like an RJD2-influenced banger, "Heads Up," feels like the soundtrack to a New-age Midwest Cowboy shoot-out Film; where orchestrated horn sections of the past copulate with low-rumbling and gliding 808s from the future, amalgamating together in a bid to beautify each down-beat with a healthy serving of Baltimore Punch.
When the tantalizing exotic festering melody of "Islamic Strategy" evaporates from the super-charged air surrounding the LP's dynamic playback, Native Sunz directs their listeners into a bewildering realm where tribal percussion work in tandem with a back-bone hook that suggests like it's quietly plotting over a roguish plan while ruminating over the choreography it's producing over arpeggiated dancing. It's a song that highlights the variety these beat makers have in conjuring-up thematic motifs that somehow teleport listeners through heat-wave prone deserts, soundtracked by earth-shattering Contemporary Hip-hop grooves, and steady-cruising joyrides that traverse through nostalgia-induced charges.
By the time 'L'appel Du Vide' reaches the gravity-less ambient voids harping with twinkling bells over "Never Ever," Native Sunz incentivizes the feeling of imagining what some of your favorite Rappers would sound like spitting versified and drippy hooks atop their meticulously crafted Hip-Hop influenced sonic-landscapes. In this case, STIXX JONES, FRANK REED, and J.ALLEN conspire mutually to produce a spacious atmosphere, so weightless and full of wonder, it probably requires the use of a space-suit just to survive inside the magnetic conditions the Baltimore Producers created us to float buoyantly in. And though the core of the beat here might seem simplistic in nature, when pealing away at their onion-layered dynamics for a closer look, the earthy, almost visceral textures of their cadence and melody comes to life among; twinkling bells, shuffling metallic-sounding percussion, smooth, oscillating filters, and distant hand drums that festoon the backgrounds of the mix with a void-like suction.
When traversing through the dynamic and masterfully crafted playback of 'L'appel Du Vide,' it's impossible not to realize the diversity with which these three Maryland-bred hit-makers channel their influences and inspirations from. Whether it be the Golden-age of sampled break-beats and chopped orchestral samples from the 90s, or Trap-house vibed beats behind dripping with the attitude behind songs like "TRAPANESSE," or "SWEET SORROWS," the masterminds behind Native Sunz have not lost touch with their musical Catalogs framework: using samples to their advantage.
After the entirety of 'L'appel Du Vide,' which translates to "The Call of The Void," STIXX JONES, FRANK REED, and J.ALLEN create a world that bounces buoyantly from one new-age banger to the next within the ambient instrumental maxims of their scrupulous design a with timeless and innovative presentation. Through one festooned track to the next, they prove time and time again that as a collective, they can appoint any production, any vibe, with the only thing holding them back—their own creative imaginations.
Discover 'L'appel Du Vide' here.
Hello Native Sunz and welcome to BuzzMusic. What was the concept behind 'L'appel Du Vide,' and how did you arrange the Record's curated track flow to better suit that concept's narrative?
Have you ever stood on a roof, a bridge, a ledge, or any other high place and wondered, “What if I jumped?” This urge most likely comes out of nowhere and disappeared as quickly as you thought about it. Turns out, this urge has the name “The Call of The Void” (in french “L’appel Du Vide”). Describes the impulse to hurl yourself into well, a void.
While unnerving, it’s actually a common experience. It also has nothing to do with suicidal ideation. “L’appel Du Vide” by NATIVE SUNZ is simply that... removing one’s self from your comfort zone and just creating unadulterated, unhindered, unbiased art with zero regards about whether folk understands it or not. Basically, creating with zero limitations.
When you develop these diverse and dynamic perspectives for your instrumentals, how does the process usually work? Who is operating as the engineer, who maps out the beat, and who picks the samples to use?
The diverse and dynamic perspectives we create in regards to our works are usually started with emotion or vibe that a sound gives you. It’s all about frequencies... certain frequencies are healing to the mind, body, and spirit and others can be destructive as well. This is why generally when you hear a certain song or certain frequencies within a song your mood changes. As far as how our process of creation works... We (my brother Stixx Jones and myself) produce, compose, arrange, mix, engineer, and master all of our Works ourselves. At any given point in time, if I am having issues working on a track, I’ll send it over to Stixx to critique and make the necessary corrections and vice versa. Before Publishing we both sign off on the finished product before releasing it to the public.
What were some of the distinguishing emotions you found yourselves encompassing or being drawn to during the recording and brainstorming process of 'L'appel Du Vide?'
Some emotions that We found ourselves drawn to when creating “L’appel Du Vide”... The title track (last track of the album)... was composed and produced out of pure emotion of being lost yet challenging one’s self to just delve into the unknown... and for me, that was creating a cinematic symphony of sorts. Stixx was the mixing engineer on that track.
As far as the album as a whole... it was just simply to have fun creating... it’s a therapy for us. Sometimes in life, we get so caught up in being overly analytical of ourselves and our gifts we forget to just simply create and enjoy the process.
What makes you most proud when looking back at the experiences, emotions, and team memories that together helped create 'L'appel Du Vide'?
What makes me most proud when looking at the experiences and memories when creating “L’appel Du Vide” was that each album of our discography exists in its own space none are like the last and each will take you on its own journey... we create with true audiophiles in mind.
If you could give your listeners a few words that would act as the Prologue to the experience behind 'L'appel Du Vide,' what would you say, and why?
A few words for listeners of L’appel Du Vide... Live a life of expectancy not of expectation with zero limitation. Enjoy the moment and let the album take you on a journey into the unknown. We hope you guys can enjoy and zone out to our music. Be sure to follow NATIVE SUNZ on your favorite streaming platform.
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