https://soundcloud.com/wax-mantic

 

 

   Wax Mantic would have been placed in the neo-soul category . .but there was one problem with each track.  . . .I didn't hear a singer. So, the grooves I listened to were not actual hip hop or rap tunes . . .and the beats were r&b . .but no one rapped or sang . . .so . .by definition . . .I believe the soundcloud album, I heard, was neo-soul.

Now, neo-soul was coined by Kedar Massenburg of Motown Records in the late 1990s as a marketing category following the commercial breakthroughs of artists such as D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, and Maxwell.

   We'll get into Kedar Massenburg in another article . . .but if we were to define soul music, we'd find a kind of music incorporating elements of rhythm and blues and gospel music, popularized by African-Americans. Characterized by an emphasis on vocals and an impassioned improvisatory delivery, [sic} . . . it is associated with performers such as Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, and Otis Redding. Again, by definition . . .you must incorporate a singer. So . .the most popular form of music eliminating vocals is jazz . . or possibly instrumental jazz. These cuts were r&b . .so I found another term that might describe Wax Mantic. The genre is Acid Jazz. By definition, Acid Jazz is  a kind of popular dance music incorporating elements of jazz, funk, soul, and hip-hop.

   So . . we found a term I liked . . .neo-soul . . .but Kedar Massenburg described his vocal talent as "neo-soul" . . . .no one ever describes instrumental grooves as neo-soul . .so we get a form of Acid Jazz . . .Since no real term describes Wax Mantic the way it should . .. I placed them in my favorite category, alternative. We've been focusing on alternative hip hop and r&b for two days . .and I like this group (Wax Mantic). They're from Paris France and sport a great painting on their facebook page resembling that "Bitches Brew" creation from Miles Davis' album. The cover features a couple and an African woman facing the sun. If you check it out. . . you see more meaning from the art work . . .but understanding why Wax Mantic chose a likeness to Miles Davis' album cover is interesting. They're not jazz . . .but they have roots in jazz music. Acid Jazz would probably describe the group more thoroughly . . .but Jaemo cringes when we use the term to describe our own work. Understanding why, is another story, but alternative is my favorite term to use.

   So . . .I went to soundcloud and found Wax Mantic's tracks. They had included so many tracks, I found four to describe.

    Pearls starts off with midi bells and a jazzy bass line. The cut is neo-soul, but there's no singer . .just a groove. We hear a bassy keyboard from a sampled electric piano and cloudy synth harmonies.

   Inner Peace sounds like it's from the same album . .but a different track. in other words . .the same instruments are used . .but the melody is a little different. Don't get me wrong . . .each song is unique . . .but . . .the theme of the album is found in each cut. So . . I hear a sampled xylophone, but all the other instruments from the last cut are found in this one . .

   In Light offers a wah keyboard part . .much like a guitar . .only with the sampled keyboard. We get the neo-soul groove, but the same r&b electric piano from the other songs kick in and we hear the 3rd groove.

   The fourth groove, Beyond Dreams, picks up a little and moves a bit faster. The harmony and melody have changed,slightly, yet the the groove sounds like a similar song . .mind you it's still unique . . .the groove is unique . .and I like them all . .but when you sit down and listen to each track, you'll hear that theme or familiar motif in each song . . .It screams neo-soul and is waiting for a cool r&b singer to approach the mic . . .but instead of incorporating what we're used to hearing (the singer), we get a jazzy r&b tune with no vocals. It's a cool concept and I think you'll like hearing Wax Mantic. rapping over something like this would be nice. We'd get a different approach on the same hip hop vibe . . .a familiar rapper synchronizing vocals over smooth r&b. That would sound nice. If Wax Mantic decides to include rap . .I'll let y'all know. Until then, enjoy what we have and I'll keep searching for our newest, most popular category, alternative. I'll, also, try and find some rap to go along with our neo-soul and, possibly, jazzier re-mixes . .