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A Look Into the Soul

by Beefus B

supported by
gtlokeb (aka: Hverheij)
gtlokeb (aka: Hverheij) thumbnail
gtlokeb (aka: Hverheij) Textured grooves delight in this outstanding offering. Favorite track: Take Us Away.
Sven B. Schreiber (sbs)
Sven B. Schreiber (sbs) thumbnail
Sven B. Schreiber (sbs) It's obvious that "Triplicate Records" is one of the leading addresses for unique and unusual electronica releases. This genre is one of my side-interests, and it tells a lot about the quality of this label's artists that I've bought several "Triplicate" releases in a relatively short time span. Each of this album's tracks has a particular inner structure, wrapped into appealing synth sounds, and Bryan Dundon manages perfectly to span the thematic arcs from beginning to end without disruption. Favorite track: Take Us Away.
Belial Pelegrim
Belial Pelegrim thumbnail
Belial Pelegrim Blissful instrumentation and mind-blowing percussion throughout this wonderful album from Mr. B. The sheer sonic beauty is something to behold! Favorite track: A Look Into the Soul.
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Take Us Away 05:31
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Drift Away 03:02

about

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You may know Bryan Dundon (Beefus B) from his work on WEATNU Records, or from his collaborative project with Belial Pelegrim as Cabal Akademik, or from his 2019 album with us. On his second Triplicate Records release "A Look Into the Soul", we hear similar themes and textures introduced in "In a Beautiffully Secluded Mind" like his expert drum programming and unique guitar lines. "A Look Into the Soul" takes these elements and brings them to you on a bit of a deeper, more personal level.

~Michael Southard, Triplicate Records
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“A look into the soul” is one of my favorite projects that I’ve done so far. It has an ethereal dreamlike theme that ties it all together. Most of the ideas came from creating unique sounding instruments using Native instruments and Output plug ins and applying different settings to alter the sound. I created a few unique instrument racks that were used in multiple instances throughout the album which helped with creating a common sounding theme.

I really wasn’t digging the initial session outcomes and had doubts whether the songs would even sound good. I let the project sit around for a while and revisited it with new focus. By adding some new parts and automation to help breathe life into the mixes things started taking shape. Mike Southard applied his mastering skills and took the album to another level. I am very happy that the album is being released by Triplicate records who added not only to the sound but also enhanced the artwork for the album cover.

I would like to thank Triplicate Records for releasing this album, Mike Southard for mastering and input in helping this release, and Bryan Kraft for his help with the album art.

~Bryan Dundon (Beefus B)
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Well here you go. Lucky listener, the new Beefus B LP, 'A Look into the Soul' bursting out onto whatever scene we're in at this point, starting this strange new decade as he no doubt means to go on with a stellar set of forward thinking songs. But are they good? Let's find out...
(the answer's yes, they're all good)

A quick tune up, the sound of disembodied guitar strumming and some nicely treated reverse pads fill the air on opener 'Beyond the Horizon'.
From the title, it seems as though that's the space these compositions inhabit: somewhere just out of reach, some ethereal plane, where the lo-fi drumbeat is king and the oh so pretty melodies never die. You, most likely a keen underground music hunter, begin to wonder what sort of trip you're in for (unless you're familiar with the weird golden aural soundscapes Beefus B works with). Before you know it, your curiosity is rewarded: Here come the lo-fi beats, the insect electronics, the lull of the soaring strings easing you into what promises to be supremely pleasurable journey. Strong first tracks are important, you only get one first impression, and it's thankfully a very positive one.

There's no time to reflect or contemplate on what you just heard however, as the record blasts forward with the playful, scatter-drummed second track 'This Road goes Nowhere'. Aptly titled, the music here unleashes a flurry of crawling string and synth melodic strands against microscopic & punchy percussion, in an ever-mutating, always pleasing arrangement. Roads don't have to go anywhere if you enjoy the journey this much, even if the lightning fast fade out leaves you wanting more every time.

The following jangle-pop breakbeat number 'Time Will Tell' somehow manages to meld wide-eyed 'what does this button do' experimentation with some cool guitar-work and hit genuine funk sideways. If this one's not on your playlist after the first listen then it is you who've failed, dear reader, not the artist. Quite frankly that also goes for the next track, the even more aptly-titled 'Sweet Memories'. The endearing opening loop, almost a half-recollected rendering of 'Half-way Up the Stairs' under a slick blanket of psychedelia gives way to the superb sound of choppy synthesized vocal bubbles, before the earlier sweetness reclaims the song. Short but sweet, loved every beat.

Now we have a little titan on our hands with the massive five-and-a-gosh-darn-half minute mid album excursion by the name of 'Take Us Away'. And Beefus does just that. (I'll stop going on about how in awe I am of his ability to title his work so accurately soon I swear). There's a nostalgia ridden synth line about a minute in that transports me right back to a certain SNES RPG that evolves subtly over the course of the track that takes this absolute banger to another level of blissed-out gold hitherto hinted at but untouched. This is a long and winding track that somehow doesn't feel it's length. The soaring dynamism of the proceedings are reigned in some on the following shuffle-drum ditty, the title track, 'A Look Into the Soul'.

Whose soul is he looking into here? Anyone in particular? The collective soul of underground producers? His own? Probably the latter, that's where these aural hard candies originate after all, I assume. Soulfulness is really the key to a lot of what makes these tunes work. Certainly, the groundwork for cohesion and structure is always carefully laid out on every track, but Beefus knows how to pick and program a rhythm section that won't restrict whatever free-form synthwork or noodles he wishes to exorcise from within. Such is the story with this particular tune, recalling the moody funk of 'Time Will Tell' whilst building further upon the 'This guy sure knows how to drum' goodwill accrued thus far. Similarly, the shorter 'Anytime After' is a fun and punchy tune which kicks of the second half of the record with a menacing string section, before taking off and soaring through a kaleidoscopic sky of infinite-Oh... it ended huh?


Yes, and here comes 'Understand the Possibilities' to pick up where those strings left off, with plucks that sound almost sitar-esque with their reverberated twang. They're laid over an enjoyably bouncy but still rather trippy percussion sequence that picks up a third of the way in and continuously stacks new tricks on top of older beats. Before you know it, we're on to 'A Long Way to Go', a reflective and sombre piece compared to what came before. Strings and piano are interwoven into an evergreen loop of peaceful contemplation, and a great deal of personality and serenity ends up being conveyed throughout this minimal, beatless little intermission (and kudos to Beefus, who surely must possess the stoicism of a monk to override his drummer instincts, presumably plaguing every fibre of his being to rock out on the half way mark).

Unwritten Rules Were Broken! Sorry that's not a statement accusing you of anything, that's the name of the tenth track. We're a good long way into Beefus B's most focused and cohesive album to date, all the previous hallmarks of this sonic recreation-centre are at play here, but my word, does the string section ever come into its own on this one. The chords they form, or rather Beefus forms here are utterly breathtaking, and incorporate an utterly heart-pounding rhythmic synth line around the three-minute mark, coasting off thrills until fading into the penultimate 'Everything Changes'.

Kicking off with one of the least complex beats so far, reversed orchestral arrangements form the ground floor of the piece, allowing a flurry of keys and melodies to make themselves known as the tune progresses. Certainly a contender for the finest track on the LP, the surprisingly down to earth verse-chorus song structure dipped in Beefusian abstractness will have anyone bobbing their heads. You probably won't even notice you're doing it until the song drifts away, such is the subtlety of the funk. Speaking of which, the final song here is 'Drift Away', a formless glide through, well, the soul. Ambient swirls rise back up to the surface of our reality; you've had every sonic weapon from Beefus' well-supplied arsenal of drums, strings and synths penetrate your very essence, now he invites you to contemplate the majesty of what you've just experience in a sweet, humble after-dinner wafer-mint outro that will leave you in a better mood than you were in before, or your money back.

You'd to well to check out this latest offering. Words can only do so much, and the music speaks for itself. You owe it to the pleasure centre of your brain to subject your ears to the whims of 'A look into the Soul', and we urge you to feed your soul by picking up a copy.

~George Evans - Triplicate Records

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credits

released January 31, 2020

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EXTERNAL LINKS

Beefus B official Bandcamp
beefusbruiser.bandcamp.com

Beefus B on Spotify
open.spotify.com/artist/0Yb5ihteGfpdBpa4cI7Arw?si=JqGvg3IBSSGcxOKM06gefQ

Beefus B on SoundCloud
soundcloud.com/beefusbruiser

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Written and Produced by Bryan Dundon
Mastered by Michael Southard
Cover Photo by Piyanut Suntaranil
Artwork by Bryan Kraft

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Beefus B Beacon, New York

Beefus B, the innovative electronic music maestro hailing from upstate New York, orchestrates a sonic revolution. Renowned as both a drummer and visionary artist, Beefus B crafts a unique fusion of beats that transcends traditional boundaries. With a rhythmic prowess that resonates through each track, he's become synonymous with cutting-edge soundscapes. ... more

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