Trade Secrets: Dubious Bros
By Glen Davison
Hamilton's Dubious Bros duo put a soulful twist on their tracks alongside MCs who get deep. Chris Macro (beatmaker/ engineer/ producer) and Tyna Keelan (guitars/ bass/ emcee) combine with a contingent of local MCs to produce some thought provoking lyrics over tracks which are obviously the result of a lot of studio time. With vocals via a Neumann U67 and less of an emphasis on sequenced loops, the Bros squashed the album onto two inch analogue tape in addition to the usual digital processing, resulting in an album with a lot of warmth to it and some smooth as hell hip hop music. The song topics range from visions of a future where hip hop is illegal, to a car crash seen from several perspectives to spousal abuse and groupies - all without a throwaway lyric from any of the contributing MCs.
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