DJ Consequence Enlists The Brightest Underground Artistes On “Vibes from the Future” LP

The COVID 19 pandemic and the lockdown that follows has already altered the state of entertainment in Nigeria. Parties were held from each other’s house, artistes performed without fans, house parties were held without much physical presence. Even DJs were not left out of this fiasco. They seem to be the most hit as they don’t get to perform like they used to. A lot of them didn’t perform until the last quarter of 2020, a few of them released mixtapes, EPs, and albums.

Akeredolu Precious Pelumi better known in the music Industry as DJ Consequence has joined the growing list as he released a new project which he aptly titled “Vibes from the Future,” it was released on December 18, 2020.

With a running time of twenty six minutes, these project had underground artistes likes  Bella Shmurda, Oxlade, Barry Jhay, Lyta, Buju, Badboy Timz, Victony, Jason, Frescool, Hanujay, DNA, MC Fish and many more. 

The production was handled by Magic, Skondtrack, Rage, LushhBeatz, Semzi, Niftkeys, Disally and many more of Nigeria’s emerging beatmakers, with Outsydah co-producing some of the tracks.

A large chunk of the songs were recorded at The Vibes Studios, a full fledge recording studio based in Lagos State. Beyond the recording, the studios also provide some tools and services for the promotion of the LP.

The title of this project is prophetic. Beyond featuring some of the brightest stars, and next to blow artistes Afrobeats has produced in recent times, DJ Consequence digs into his sounds to score some unusual collaborations, some beautiful sound mixing. Perhaps, he is even prophesying what the future sound of Afrobeats would sound like. 

Rapper and Afrobeats singer, Victony begins the project with his slow burning tune, sensual tinged lyrics. The lyrics come off slowly, rolls, yet the message gets clearer as the chorus gives way to the second verse. It is a celebration of a romantic relationship with some coitus talk in between. Victony understood how to sweep a girl off her feet, he slowly and firmly laid down his plans. A gentleman at heart. The guitar work and occasional kicks on this song makes it more delightful to listen to.

Airy feel, drum pattern, log drums forms the foundation for the production on the second track “Enter,” of this project. Brown Joel and Mc Fish come through as the guest artistes. It is an Amapiano type of beat production, the artistes effortlessly fly on this song with Skondtrack serving as the producer, while the versatile music producer, Doughnaldmusic, serves as the co-producer of the track.

At some point, they seemed to be overshadowed with the song yet they were able to maneuver after some second into the song. While Amapiano is still at the formative stage, only a few artistes have mastered the art of recording with the production, Brown Joel and Mc Fish seem to fall into this small category.

Mavin signed group DNA got spotlighted on the third track “Adora,” of this song. It still retains the Amapiano essence of the previous track, the only difference was the bmp, it was a little bit high on this track. The production overwhelmed the singer’s vocals. It was a chaotic production yet DNA smartly gave a good account of themselves. Just like the title suggests, DNA heaps praises on his lover, promising her to be faithful.

Although LushhBeatz produced “Jo (Dance),” the maverick  Outsydah also served as a co-producer of the song, perhaps, one of the most sophisticated productions of the project. Barry Jhay, Jason, Frescool also combined efforts to make this track. It’s a beautiful mix with brilliant souls, Outsydah and LushhBeatz on the production side, the talented trio of Barry Jhay,Jason and Frescool completing the sonic team.

Fuji meets Afrobeats on the Bad Boy Timz’s assisted “Soju,” with an ample tribute to 9ice “Gongo Aso,” this song is a call to action with Bad Boy Timz leading the way. It is a feel good type of song. On “Sade,” it becomes a battle of vocals as Bnxn and Lyta combine effort to serenade their better half.  It is a romantic song.

Fusion and sound dynamics remain the most dominant strongest point of this project as DJ Consequence switches between R&B, Dancehall, Fuji and more. He touches on the most important genre, he brings up the brightest artistes from each genre. For instance , on “Uber (Rifix),” DJ Consequence features Dancehall star Hanujay who dazzles the listeners with his lyrics and flow.

The penultimate track features Nifty, Abstraktt, two Dancehall kings. They trap,  flow on Dancehall beats. “Floss,” gives off an American feeling yet the artistes stay Nigerians with their delivery.

Magic (Wordz) and Outsydah jointly work on the project closer “Lungu Riddim,” which features next superstar Oxlade and Bella Shmurda. Two bright stars coming together to curate a beautiful and cool track doesn’t come easy. Oxlade’s vocal remains dominant on this song however Bella made his mark with the opening verse.

With Vibes from the Future, DJ Consequence might have just opened a vista of opportunity for underground artistes. He seems to understand how to mix genres, this is reflected in the number of genres explored on this EP. Perhaps, in months to come, more underground artistes would be given the chance to showcase themselves.