Touch and Nato

Touch & Nato Are The Representatives-->
By Thomas Quinlan

Rapper Touch and producer DJ Nato team up for this collaboration that unabashedly reps their hometown of Edmonton, AB to the fullest. Touch breaks down their 780 pride with the "Spark That" intro and the next two tracks, "Where I Reside" and "The Representatives." After that, their collaboration becomes a collection of concept tracks from the perspective of loyal Edmonton residents. Touch references their recording process on "Dusty Disk Drives," with a slow, deep synth bass, cymbals, short vocal sample and infrequent cello, and their previously released "It's the SP-12," a dark ode to the duo's sampler of choice. Nato's dark and sinister production results in the majority of the album highlights, including Touch's over-the-top bragging on "Trained 2 Kill," his "Freak Show" circus duet with abstract T-Dot rapper Mindbender and "What I Really Wanna Say," which features a verse from fellow Edmonton patriot Cadence Weapon following Touch's rehash of his first verse from his more fun-loving, accordion-heavy diss track, "What I Wanna Say," also included. Their update of Slick Rick's "Children Story" (as "Adult's Story") and their respectful ode to women ("Four Letter Word") are also worth checking. In fact, with very little filler and guest appearances by Wordsworth and the rest of the duo's LBA crew, Intelligent Design is well worth acquiring. And hopefully it's just the beginning of their collaborative efforts. ..Intelligent Design-->(Independent)
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Currently listening :
Intelligent Design (are The Representatives in...)
By Touch and Nato

- EXCLAIM

RAPREVIEWS.COM - INTELLIGENT DESIGN

The Representatives :: Intelligent Design :: upinarmsrecordings.com
as reviewed by Susan 'susiQ' Kim

To think, I started with only one album from Edmonton emcees, yet they keep on coming and coming. Obviously, Edmonton artists have been continuing their moment of grandeur as seen through up and coming artists The Representatives comprised of the duo of Touch (emcee) and Nato (producer/DJ).

With lyrical skills spanning back to beginnings of Edmonton's hip hop scene, Touch began to exercise his talents with the Dangerous Goods Collective back in the early 90s and has grown to become a well respected emcee to represent Canada's finest. As Touch teams up with Nato's innovative beats and use of an array of sounds, they initiate a legacy of superior Canadian hip hop with their debut album "Intelligent Design."

Canadians don't ever forget their roots especially The Representatives in "Intelligent Design" as the album begins with a dialogue between some onlookers and Touch as he is questioned about why he is still in Edmonton amidst the height of his rap career. Touch's simple response is, "I was born here. This is where I'm from." The background music of soft piano keys becomes louder and commences the beginning of "Where I Reside" building on the idea to always show respect to the city you come from. Regardless of the overrated hype of other cities and disapproval from others about possibly making it big elsewhere, Touch stays true to what he knows best. Touch and Nato sustains their representation in "The Representatives" in order to claim fame in the rising city of Edmonton.

It is almost imperative for Canadian rappers to include numerous battle raps in their albums because of the constant difficulties of coming up in the rap game. "Intelligent Design" follows the constant trend with their best tracks featured here. Commencing the track with a piano introduction, "Brand New" encompasses a soulful rhythm with saxophone interludes and cuts while dissecting the imperfections of an adversary as Touch says:

"When it came down to it
You weren't that fluent
When you decided to brag about your fifteen units
You sold last summer
With no receipts to prove it
Here comes Touch with some brand new shit


The way you approach the art is all wrong
It's not about you song
It's about how long
You can hold down the fort
Consistency, longev'
But what I'm witnessing from your stance alone
You took a chance a bit of flow
The practiced student playing the role
No real mic control
No distinguished flow"

Similar to the prolonged existence of the SP-12 synthesizer, "It's the SP-12" compares the respect and longevity of this celebrated piece of equipment to the music of The Representatives. They claim that "it aint about the CD, it's about how well you can hold down a show." Also, "What I Wanna Say" features a lively sound full of whimsical strings and heavy bass, almost contradictory to Touch's harsh rhymes as he calls out to all the whack emcees trying test his talents.

"Intelligent Design" gets some added help throughout the album from various featured artists to add a bit of variety of sound and cadence. "Somethin' Real" features Brooklyn emcee Wordsworth who has rhymed on acclaimed albums such as A Tribe Called Quest's "The Love Movement" and Talib Kweli's "Black Star." Sullen violins and horns permeate this track about the realities of city life in its purest form.

The abstract beat with sounds similar to that of water drops throughout the track featured in "Worda Mouth" includes Chris Plus, Stray, and Chazm. Another abstract attempt in a remix of "What I Wanna Say" is shown in "What I Really Wanna Say" featuring commended Canadian rapper, writer, producer, and mixer, Cadence Weapon. Introducing a more ethereal take on the original song with spontaneous cuts in the track, "What I Really Wanna Say" demonstrates the abilities of The Representatives to provide a multiplicity of sounds all the way through their music.

With the initial sounds of a motorcycle speeding away, "Can't Hold Me Back" features Chazm and singer Nomad reminding us to never stop trying even when adversity is staring you right in the face. Unfortunately, the off key chorus and monotony throughout the track made me quickly skip to the next.

The Representatives throw in some humorous tracks to break up the seriousness in "Intelligent Design" with for example, "Adult Show" which samples Slick Rick's "Children's Story" in an amusing way. As a Maury Povich talk show parody introduces an irate female named Naisha who wants to set the record straight that Touch is her baby's daddy, Touch begins his story telling techniques of what really went down. If anyone has ever seen a Maury Povich show, you know paternity test results are always revealed in the end and this time Touch was lucky…he is NOT the father.

The 18 tracks in "Intelligent Design" provide a glimpse into the increased capabilities of our friends in Canada. Not only have The Representatives proven to all of us that in fact, inventive, solid rap does exist outside of America, but they have also shown they are no longer the underdog. Like Canadian rapper Saukrates once said, "America has heard the east, they've heard the west, they've heard the south – now here comes the motherf---in' north."

Music Vibes: 7.5 of 10 Lyric Vibes: 7.5 of 10 TOTAL Vibes: 7.5 of 10

Originally posted: August 14, 2007
source: www.RapReviews.com


Currently listening :
Intelligent Design (are The Representatives in...)
By Touch and Nato


- rapreviews.com

08 Sep 2007

REVIEW FROM UNTIL THE TRAIN STOPS


taken from http://until-the-train-stops.blogspot.com/

Touch and Nato - Intelligent Design review

by Renato Pagnani

I originally thought there might be some sort of conflict-of-interest in reviewing Intelligent Design, but then I realized that would be akin to Sean Fennessey not reviewing a Dipset album, or Henry Adaso not covering a Z-Ro single because they share the same place of residence. I've never thought that hometown bias was a negative thing, and in rap until recently it's sometimes worked inversely. So here's the disclaimer: for those who don't know, just like Touch and Nato, I'm from Edmonton. But I don't technically live in Edmonton (St. Albert, bitches), so what partisan leanings? Plus, I've never even met the guys. If I had gotten smashed while playing BioShock (game of the year) with them last night, then yeah, maybe I shouldn't be reviewing their album. But last night I was definitely alone in Rapture. Just like every night.

Cadence Weapon's debut Breaking Kayfabe (2005) was the first genuinely great rap album to come out of Edmonton; Intelligent Design is the second. For too long have aspiring rappers who don't hail from the Big Four (New York, L.A., Atlanta, and Detroit-slash-Chicago, for argument's sake) tried to mimic the styles other regions, especially the "New York sound," and this has led to little more than frustrating facsimiles of established sounds. This has been especially true of Canadian artists, unfortunately. They all want to sound like an eastern underground rapper or some gangster rapper (Nas, right?). Or if they're melanin-deficient, Eminem. The UK got it right when the artists there, while borrowing bits and pieces from here and there, managed to create something their own—grime. Those who have succeeded outside of the Epicentres of Rap have done the same. The aesthetic of Rollie "Cadence fucking Weapon" Pemberton's music falls somewhere between grime's paranoid danceability and 8-bit Nintendo cartridges; as an emcee he's like that friend of yours who has an incredible wealth of knowledge in numerous genres of music, and while he doesn't outright brag about how much cooler than you he is, you know he's totally thinking it. Yet you still hang out with the dude, mostly because he's a hoot after imbibing libations and a great wing-man.

There are obvious influences found on Intelligent Design, evident in both Touch's emceeing and Nato's production. Touch owes a lot to the wordy, underground rap he surely listened to growing up; his flow is of the labyrinthine variety, twisting around basslines and burrowing into the crooks and crannies of the samples Nato flips. But Touch's flow is more streamlined than a, say, Talib Kweli, and probably closer to Breezly Brewin's conversational stilt than Kweli's. And unlike most underground emcees, Touch doesn't take himself too seriously and even has a sense of humour (check out the amusing, Slick Rick-indebted "Adult's Story"). Nato's beats are all very clean, and his cuts and scratches could have been lifted directly from a Gang Starr album. His production fits Touch like a custom Italian suit, measured to fit snug across his shoulders and altered for near-total freedom of movement so he can make sudden flow changes without tearing something. "Somethin' Real," with Masta Ace-protégé Wordsworth, floats in an ocean of sorrow with its muted horns and Ghostface-sampled chorus, and Touch describes "Trained 2 Kill," a track that recalls Dan the Automator's work on Dr. Octagonecologyst, as some "superhero, Captain Canada shit," and he's not far off the mark.

Whatever the style of track, whether it be the Edmonton-anthem "Where I Reside" ("We outside with big coats that zip up past our throats/ So you can feel the chill in every rhyme I wrote") or the trapeze-jumping, water balloon-juggling "Freak Show," Touch and Nato don't shout out their influences as much as hint at them through riddles and sideways glances. Even the traditional battle track format is given a fresh coat of paint on "Brand New"—here Touch needs not deliver even one diss, but rather he deconstructs his battle with his opponent, calmly asserting that "you're still a biter even if you just nibble" while his foe shits his pants and runs home to his mommy.

Instead of aping New York rap, Touch and Nato, like Weapon and other Canucks such as Buck 65 and k-os (even if he's a conscious version of what Wyclef and will.i.am's love-child might sound like—not a dig at Brereton, I swear), embrace their place of origin instead of shunning it. And it makes for better music. Besides not sounding fraudulent, it helps add to the growing mythology of Canadian rap, and contribute in establishing a "Canadian sound," whatever that means. Intelligent Design isn't perfect; it feels overlong and the guests—Wordsworth and Pemberton, who is continuing to work out the kinks in his flow, excluded—sound pedestrian when compared to the veteran Touch. And the chorus to "Can't Hold Me Back" is just fucking awful. Two great rap albums do not a burgeoning rap scene make—but it's a start. Now where's Afterparty Babies, Rollie?

Rating: 8.0 (out of a possible 10.0)



Currently listening :
Intelligent Design (are The Representatives in...)
By Touch and Nato


- REVIEW FROM UNTIL THE TRAIN STOPS

10 Dec 2007

Hiphop hits 5 Canadian albums that should not be slept on (NOW Magazine)


Taken from: http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/2007-11-22/music_feature3.php

Music Feature
Hiphop hits
5 Canadian albums that should not be slept on
GRAND ANALOG Calligraffiti (Urbnet)

The thick, digital grit of this gifted collective puts a uniquely Canadian spin on an international sonic template, resulting in something rather rugged in the process. Around This Town, for example, captures Odario and co. concocting dub fire spreading from Winnipeg to Toronto to Kingston to England. Mood raw.

BOONAA Boonaafied (Stolen from Africa)

This young, gifted poet's fiery verbiage is fuelled by passion, without beats, on this inspired debut. Crystal-clear lyricism and childlike innocence helps catapult atomic thought-rocks at Goliath-sized targets. The valley-girl sarcasm of God Bless The Colonizer is deliciously wry. With some vocal sculpting, Boonaa will be a leader of tomorrow.

TOUCH AND NATO are… THE REPRESENTATIVES Intelligent Design (Up in Arms)

Proud Edmontonian Touch connected with mega-creative producer DJ Nato to make this headbangin' album meant to expand your perspective of western Canadian rap. Guests include Wordsworth, Cadence Weapon and Mindbender. Plus, the Slick Rick-inspired YouTube video Adult's Story is possibly the cleverest remake of the year. Find it.

MARVEL No Streets (Just The World) (Mumbles Hip Hop)

This tragically overlooked Toronto talent's debut LP finally emerges, and it's well worth waiting for. Marvel's jazzy wit dances all over the powerful, innovative production, spilling his heart and mind. Arcee and k-os provide mic support. Essential for your Toronto hiphop legends collection.

ETERNIA Where I'm At – The Set-Up (Urbnet)

A seamless concept project and precursor to her next power move, this 26-track labour of love establishes Eternia as a mature and increasingly lethal lyricist, capable of flowing with anyone on anything. Wordsworth, Polyrhythm Addicts, Promise, Grimace Love, Jessica Kaya and other worthy guests bless this rock-solid release.

NOW | NOVEMBER 22 - 28, 2007 | VOL. 27 NO. 12

Currently listening :
Intelligent Design (are The Representatives in...)
By Touch and Nato


- Now Magazine

"This isn't for the radio. We make this for nobody but ourselves." Taken from the liner notes of this impressively intricate hip hop album, this statement is directly represented in the music that it references. This Alberta, CA duo shuns mainstream, cookie-cutter approaches in favor of digging deep and doing what comes natural: making real hip hop that refuses to be pigeonholed or compromised. Lyricism encompasses the forefront here, with Touch kicking rhymes that are often harsh and gritty, but equally compelling and sincere. With no shortage of rappers telling you what they think you want to hear, it's refreshing to hear a lyricist spit truth like it's something you absolutely can't breathe without. Nato carries this sentiment over to the beats, utilizing a huge array of instruments and samples to produce tracks that are multifaceted but smooth, heavyweight but not banging just because they're supposed to. The genuine nature of these songs is what hits the hardest. These guys mean it, and the passion and urgency that flows throughout this album is a large part of what makes it such a compelling listen. That, and the fact that this is just some real deal, no holds barred hip hop. CD Baby & Hostbaby 5925 NE 80 Ave, Portland OR 97218-2891 - CD Baby