Right out the gate, Salloum’s ‘Energy & Rhythm’ begins with a spark of the metaphysical. The intro track, ‘Gamebreaker’ is a full audio clip about otherworldly topics. Accompanied by a full website http://energyandrhythm.com/, ‘Energy & Rhythm’ is a project that details a level of depth easily forgotten today. ‘Join Us’, the first track, is a mission statement and call to arms, a spiritual anthem enveloped in passion. ‘Heart Of The City’ is a triumphant autobiographical banger consisting of an instrumental with a haunting piano loop, heavy drums, and blended synths on the hook. ‘Reagan’s United Nations (interlude)’ ties in the political with the conspiratorial; a chilling segue into ‘End Of The Road’, a track with a slight Hip-Hop-meets-Nu-Metal mellow alternative aesthetic. Famed comedian George Carlin has his own interlude again emphasizing the possible extraterrestrial influence on our society. ‘The Setup’ has a ghastly instrumental and even more altering lyrics exposing the esoteric to the listener. Epic, enlightening, intoxicating and energetic all describe ‘Energy & Rhythm’. Salloum delivers a Hip-Hop album that is a wealth of knowledge, an LP that can be studied like an ancient book holding the mysteries of time.
The Salloum - Energy & Rhythm
Salloum Provides Plenty of Food for Thought on New Project, ‘Energy & Rhythm’
Salloum ‘Energy & Rhythm’ Album
BY DAN STUCKIE
Salloum brings philosophy with a hip-hop flavor on “Energy & Rhythm”. The kaleidoscopic array of samples that are scattered throughout the album gives into a sense of life and purpose. By far though, the heart and soul of the album rests with the incredible insightful lyrics that rest right at the heart of it all. With a loose approach and a strong emphasis on the extraterrestrial, it comes close to some of Sun Ra’s musings. On a sonic level, Salloum draws from those avant-garde members of the hip-hop community.
The whole of the album reveals Salloum’s fresh flow. Highly articulate, he ruminates about conflict, how to find an inner peace, and the relationships we build among ourselves. By doing it with such care and compassion he crafts something that has an intimate approach to it. Everything about the album defies expectations, from the carefully produced beats to the samples with just the right amount of nostalgia inflected upon them. Every song builds off the last, making the album a fully unified and collective statement, one that lingers in the mind long after the album has ended.
“Gamebreaker Feat. John E Mack (Intro)” starts things off on an atmospheric kick. With “Join Us”, Salloum offers an impassioned plea to find a greater calling. The grandeur of “Heart of the City” rests with the stately piano riff that radiates throughout the whole of the piece, getting warped and transformed in unexpectedly blissful ways. Easily the highlight of the album comes with the incredible “Life in The Moonlight”. Romantic yearning and a desire to rise above intermingles perfectly with the fiery arrangement aligned with nimble beats. Going for the direct is the powerful triumph of “Champ”. A giant ode comes with the colossal “The Pleiadians Message (Outro)”. Wrapping things up with light and optimism is “Dawn of Development”.
With “Energy & Rhythm” Salloum crafts a message that transcends the traditional to go for something far more timeless and unique.