Noah
Conscious Dreaming
This is a really good 1st album. I’ve been listening to Noah for a long time and he definitely upped the stakes with Conscious Dreaming; the album is an example of what can be accomplished if an artist takes his time and really works his vision out. Noah is the producer of the beats and the featured emcee. His dj is supposedly the No. 1 dj in Japan right now, and his guest talent usually comes through for him by improving already clean tracks. This album is FCC friendly all the way through. It has a lot of flavor to it and should mix well with a variety of genres. The flows are almost all in Japanese but their delivery is musical and executed well. Listen and enjoy. There are no bad tracks on this album!!!!

1. Prologue: Short instrumental with using Japanese instruments with piano and a liquid dub effect… Simple and good for announcement beds.
2. Conscious Dreaming: A funky slide bass line with a nice horn sample filled out with soft chords and vibes. The drums are sparse but the vibe is positive and uptempo. One of my favorite tracks.
3. Be Good: The drums are shaky and full with snap. The main samples are a guitar chord variation and a delayed organ. Another funky track with nice layers. Its got a relaxed and mellow sound with good depth.
4. Life is a Journey: A really lush track from the subtle cymbal crashes to the sax accents and piano breakdowns. The track really flows and all of the samples are arranged well. It’s not too repetitive; sounds come in and out creating nice dynamics and the 30’s style vocal sample appearing close to the end makes it for me. Another awesome track.
5. At the Station – interlude- piano chords with some string sample and station sounds… simple but eloquent.
6. Me&You: This sounds like a love song to me. The break is simple with a couple change ups and the full piano base just sounds emotional especially with the subtle vocal hook. The flow sounds really charged even though I can’t understand it. A nice soft and mellow track.
7. Breathing of a Instrument: One of my favorite tracks on the album and the one I play the most on my show. It’s playful and uptempo… could be used as a dance track. The female vocal sounds so smooth and gives the beat even more of a samba feel. The piano rolls well with the rapped lyrics and I like the bass line.
8. A Bird’s Eye View: The beat on this is a little heavier in the lower register with synth and piano layers it feels kinda like a light electric hammer with computer beeps inserted as accents. I like how he flips the synth oboe like sound. The rapping on this track is a little more forceful and works with the drum break well. Horns make nice accents on the hook. A good track to go with the heavier sounds. There’s about a minute long interlude at the end of the track; a nice little beat.
9. Spiritual Connection: This beat is a little different in that its not as thick and the break is much simpler. Most of the texture of the song comes from overdubs, scratching and table dropped samples. I like the flow of the guest emcee and the beatboxing on the end. Its not a super serious track, but it works well. I like the Pee Wee Herman drop in the beginning.
10. Disk til Dawn – interlude: another short beat more on the ambient side with Japanese feeling rhythm and textures flowing synth chords and sparkling chime accents. It feels like time passing in light rain.
11. Hustle: The beat is a little repetitive in a new skool way, but the vocals make up for it with a delivery. The guest emcee has interesting flow and the counterparts work well to accent the cycles of the beat. The table dropped samples work really well for me too and I like the tickling piano licks.
12. Just Keep It: This is a fun track… totally party track with the feel of a ragtime jam, but not too old skool. The samples layer well and create an interesting collage of influences. The scratches are clean and the vocal samples have sweet effects on them. The raps follow the funky rhythm of the samples really well, weaving in and out of breakdowns. Another favorite.
13. Beat Poet: The beat here is definitely more on the minimal side with residual Phillip Glass patterns. It works with the hook though and draws more attention to the cadence of the flows… very hypnotic and subtle; a nice change in tone for the album.
14. Forbidden Last: The only track in English on the album; its strength is on the instrumental. It’s a tight vocal sample (sounds like something off of the Ghost in the Shell soundtrack) and the beat breathes well. It kinda reminds me of a more structure Dabrye beat. Listen for the beat. I wish I had this instrumental.
15. On The Seashore: Lapping water, a sexy saxophone and staggered piano chords slowly suck you into a somnambulic reverie. It’s just a little ambient postlude, but its still a nice track.