I remember hearing Substantial's QN5 record and hating it. Then while working at Seattle U last winter I met a student who goes by Marcus D. We chopped it up and he brought in a project he had done with - Substantial. Needless to say I was suspicious but I popped it in the player at work and let it ride.Not only did I find myself nodding my head but I had a couple students come ask who it was, and Marcus D was strategically placed close enough to hear and come give her a flyer for their upcoming show.
Marcus D won the Big Tune last year for a reason and while work kept me away this year the video I've seen of his knockout round it was a pretty close call. But the beat battle is not the place for the type of beats you'll hear on the Bop Alloy tape prePAIRED. Instead we are treated to awesome jazzy tunes that will have you in the mood to kick back and relax. Substantial rides them well and doesn't bore me at all.
This collection of tracks dropped recently to help get attention for their official full length which has been repackaged as a "deluxe edition." Head over to their bandcamp to check it out, stream some of the songs from prePAIRED below - the five Marcus D instrumentals at the end are pretty impressive.
