Dirty Lil’ Communications – Fabp aka Fabpz the Freelancer (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

Proving that there is a still plenty of sonic exploration to be done in the very broad urban music field, Fabp has delivered an album which thwarts expectations. It’s very easy to see the musical building blocks he uses to create this suite of eleven songs, a gentle, often ambient hip-hop, restrained and spacious sung-raps, reggae grooves, R&B melodies and strange electronic pop hybrids. In that respect he is working in fairly familiar territory but as always it isn’t about the basic materials but what you build with them that counts. You don’t look at the nature of the bricks when you are being beguiled by the architecture.

It’s an album which adds some unexpected elements to the hip-hop/rap music mix. There is an understatement and a wonderful space created by the unhurried and chilled nature of the delivery. Even more surprising are songs like Greatest Artists which somehow come on like a bit of a boast but which are actually dripping with a humble, matter of fact poignancy.

Dirty Lil’ Communications shows that not every song has to be big and clever, has to try too hard to show off and play the role of the alpha male. Sometimes just forging an original path, being brave enough to do your own thing and not follow the musical fads and fashions is its own reward. Fabp isn’t leader of the pack for one simple fact. He is so far ahead of the pack that they barely know how to follow him.