Hip-Hop creative Muenster shares his brilliant new album Muenstervision Presents:Ian.
A sprawling, hypnotic and thought provoking collection tracks melding elements of jazz, Hip-Hop and atmospheric electronics, the album sonically covered a lot of ground whilst capturing an essence of classic 90s Hip-Hop. Muenster’s ever tight flow and honest, at times emotive and always intense and entrancing lyricism takes centre stage throughout as he is joined by a multitude of varying features which serve to add depth to the release. There’s no doubting how much time, effort, love (probably sweat and tears) has gone into this album.
Such is the depth of Muenstervision Presents:Ian, that it felt to do the album justice, the best way to feature the record would be to get Muenster to run us through the album himself. I implore you to listen on the link below while you read Muenster’s track by track to add to the intense experience this album offers… and if you like what you hear, of course buy the album to access all of the tracks. ANYWAY, over to Muenster himself:
Inauguration
This lead off joint is a synth heavy cloud-hop beat of horns and 808’s set the tone for me to sort of introduce my vibe and intent on a current pulse but also remind my legacy fans and followers that me, these legends, and all my day ones are here to welcome you into this art piece.
Griot ft Ras Kass
As the namesake embodies, the griot (a west African storyteller who passes on oral traditions; a wandering musician and poet) whose purpose is to enculturation and educate through storytelling and song is a modern day wiseman or shaman, and in hip hop one of the most crucial roles as an MC. I chose such an epic backdrop beat and brought some amazing horn players and one of the most legendary hip hop icons Ras Kass to help, we found what was lost and reminded US all of what we are to each other. Power is taken, and it is earned by knowledge of self, and of the world around.
Don’t Abide ft Evolve & Tame One
This new golden era banger is everything we all fell in love with and forgot we didn’t have enough of. Hip-Hop needed this reminder. Set to a classic boom-bap beat with grimy chops and a smooth as ice live bass line Tame One, Evolve, and I set out to make sure all the hip hop tourists out there understand their place in the MC food chain, and the real ones will always honor the elements. “This is history in progress.”
We Live
A one drop driven rhythm and bass piece carved straight out of 1975. This jawn focuses on the time spent in our existence, as ourselves here on his planet. We fail to acknowledge our true impact if we don’t consider our legacies. What we do and say matters in this life. We matter to each other. This song sets out to ask, “what do we live for…and what do we see”.
Equilibrium ft Ceschi & Heir Max
When we got together after being so isolated as musicians and homies, we wanted to touch on the aftermath of the pandemic, a forced shut down and separation from our connected selves and the unfortunate furthered divisions between us all as a byproduct. I don’t think any of us in the world knew what these ripples would feel like, and sometimes we need to get back to a place of center, or “equilibrium” with ourselves and each other. This beat by my mellow Cloak Beats is “big big!” sound wise and draws emotion and criticism intentionally. We breathe in.
Disenfranchisement ft Myka Nine
Myka and I teamed up to write this joint for my new record, Muenstervision Presents: Ian… just speaking on the fact that you know, everything that gets created gets removed at some level, and often it’s the takers taking without giving respect due to the originators. On an understanding though, black art has consistently and systematically been taken from in the most rooted form. From Jazz to Rap to athletic excellence and creative curation, it is constantly under attack and if we don’t demand better, it never will be. “Just ask if your hearts are up to the task, cause it’s the start that could last when there’s masses that want things done quicker.”
Masquerade
This is a southern comfort track. The horns take me to Atlanta and the bump takes me to LA.. Cloak nailed this in the namesake of a Masquerade, I’m addressing the concept of object impermanence through the lenses of shifting vocational needs throughout the post-industrial revolution and the pressures and burdens placed on immigrants and minorities coupled with the futility of our time here truly. Each day a cycle of beginning and ending with each one we encounter yielding the unique experience of singularity, yet the ripple effects of how we treat each other fades past the closed doors and behind the scenes conversations.
Dynamics ft Prince Po & Guillotine the Kasino Champ
When I first heard the down beat of the backing track (concocted by the beat genius Hologram Dagger and laced up by my man Elliot Morgan on electric bass) I knew it needed to be blessed with some hard hitters. I reached out to hip-hop’s royalty Prince Po of Organized Konfusion and one of my deadliest day ones Guillotine the Kasino Champ on the mic and we squadded up like some bar-barian superheroes and brought some pressure to your earlobes. An exposure on the layers and levels to the interpersonal connections and bonds that exist in so many areas of our modern-day westernized culture. This track reminds us that ignorance to these dynamics lends to division and discord… and that’s just how they play us, fam.
Syncopation ft Abstract Rude, QM, & E-Turn
Every classic record needs a posse cut, and this is mine. I teamed up with some of the best to crush a mic and we made this funky joint about style and energy. Each of the homies murked their verses and no bar fakes the pose.
ltered Carbon ft PterradactoA
A dark and honest synth heavy journey. In an age of “woke” justice and self-defined truth. The line gets blurred between what we’re supposed to do and what we actually do, when faced with any given day at hand. Perspective drives our front-end decisions, but how does that affect those that we interact with? The construct that we all “know the way” but the next one doesn’t is what keeps us disconnected. And that’s that low vibrational energy that keeps us all stuck. So, we have to smash the monikers and burn down the print press’ because sadly, “they say the truth will set you free but mostly it just gets you killed, ridiculed, and cast aside” how am I supposed to feel?
Broken Decks
This one is for my day one’s.. All the heads I broke boards and broke bread with throughout these years of living life to the fullest. Life moves fast. Never stop embracing the moments as they come…“we never know we’re not in it till it passes us by…” super classic swing beat by my guy DJ Phlegm w horns that have you grindin till the sun up. So, sit back and put one in the air and just ride on out.
Mannequin ft iQmuzic
Reflection. Hindsight. Wisdom. All after the facts… what if we could gleam these things on the forefront. Manipulate reality in a way that we control our outcomes. I think that is what the purpose of manifestation is. To bring to fruition as much change we wish to see in the world as we can while we’re here. Consider the mannequin, this objective representation of the self-idealized. How one may see one’s best self in any given situation. It is the way we handle the introspection that drives the experience negative or positive, the job is to pose the question. “Who’s that staring back at me? It’s the mannequin showing me the truth.” Beat by iQ and myself that is super dancehall/dub driven meant to entrance and endeavor these questions I pose above.
New Tours ft Taiyamo Denku
Another anchor to a solid hip hop record is a track that the Underground heads/DIY/Mobulator/Road-Warrior/25/8 Tour hustlers can get with this ones for all of y’all. No sleep till the next town. press shirts in the tour van…. freestyle for a tellie spot MC MC’s. No water added bars from my guy Denku aka “Hustle Simmons”, set this track off for exactly that tour to tour stage to stage, rap till your voice shot. Then rap some more with many bumps on some dumb‘ish.. “Our time will come like bringing the record back.”
Easy
I cut this track and made the smoke heavy beat with my mello Ritchy Flot…This is a piece on reflection from another viewpoint of possibility. What if we could watch ourselves and then redefine our paths? The sun sets so that we can try again at dawn. Not everyone gets this chance, and the more we realize that we walk as one, but not each one’s path is the same, the easier it becomes to empathize with those with opposing views. This is the way we must realize the power is with all of us when we unify. Don’t give them what they want or they’ll take all that they can.
Doe Eyes
I wrote this song about my wife. She is my daily breath of joy and possibility, as pretty as the sunset is on the pacific ocean, and as wise and vibrant as the electric currency that flows through us all, she is my Doe Eyes. Set to a smooth as silk Cloak beat the verses and hooks blend like butter into the perfect swing. It’s like a blanket of love and funk, the world needs more of this in my opinion, “All I wanna do is sit and watch the paint dry.”
Fake News ft Jsun the Prophesor & Kilathon (Levon Donnell)
We wanted to write a non-biased perspective piece on the state of mass media and its mechanical drive to maintain a status of fear and confusion. No one person sees the world in the same light. The point is that it is ok, and what makes it such a beautifully unique place, this earth we’re on. Turn off the TV, look past your windshield, entertain your neighbor, have that hard conversation. Ritchy Flo on the beat, bronx drill w classic 808’s. These two Homies that joined me on this are some of the first MCs I cut my teeth with back home in Austin, two decades ago. It’s an honor fellas definitely not #FakeNews.
Log Out ft Bobby Fisha & Billy Syn
The most critical of all tracks in this MC’s mind. Exploring the tropes of block chain and emergent merchandising alongside hyper-sensationalism and over extended assets in the name of showing out for a false identity. Tackling crypto hacking, mining and profit yields alongside the future forward possibilities of art and music on the blockchain. As we embrace the new age of augmented reality digital consumption, the self gets lost in the mass question of identity and our role in all our interactions with each other. How we handle technology will define the next era of human existence. Just don’t forget to “Log Out” and soak up some sunlight every now and then.
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