Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
Surmen are back with another terrific CD. Mutants On Display. This disc sports cool creative beats, not the usual electronic stuff, they use a real drummer, interesting mutant grooves and a unique sense of style that really grows on you. Surmen's stacatto raps prove again that impeccable rhythm is key to the success of a great rapper.
Buy this CD if you want to hear what rappers are supposed to sound like.
For more info please visit: www.surmen.net - rockoncolorado.com
Finally, rappers who understand that rap is a rhythm instrument! Combining staccato lyrics with cool lush music Surmen overcome the failure of most hip hop acts who think that the vocals can simply be spoken over the beats. This act uses more than just a cool beat track, they've actually got music backing them up and there are male and female voices rapping together. Most importantly, though, the vocal timing is impeccable. We hate hearing rappers that can't keep up with their own beats, gasping for breath and missing the beat. The CD packs 16 tracks onto one well produced CD.
Buy this CD if you want to hear what rappers are supposed to sound like.
For more info please visit: www.surmen.net - rockoncolorado.com
"By far one of my favorite bands that I have had the opportunity to bring to the stage. Never seen a band quite like this. The band can lock you in with the crafty lyrics that will take your brain for a train ride as you chase sprint just to keep up while at the same time play a wide array of notes on their assembly of instruments. A must see!"
- - Miles High Productions
Take a horror movie soundtrack and put it on acid. Add in a gregorian monk and a DJ, and you have Surmen, except this monk is more likely to give you a shot than a wafer. Taken from a play on the word sermon, this group adds a new sound to the Denver scene, blending rap, hip-hop, and a Wagner opera.
Surmen has a unique sound all their own, layered MCs over a DJ mixing and scratching, keyboards that echo church organ chords, and heavy drumbeats, topped off with a guitar and bass holding it all together. The songs range from political outrage to what sounded like the sermon on the mount, complete with references to church and catechism. And while lead MC and keyboardist K. Berquist is no priest, his preaching comes through loud and clear.
Herman's ain't no cathedral though. Surmen brings the clear sound of old school rap throughout their set, MCs throwing out lyrics faster than the best of auctioneers. Their experimental style combines a heavy goth-sound with minor chords and hip-hop rhythms. Not something you hear every day. Their sound is too heavy for pop fans, for sure, but they bring something new to the scene giving an edgy performance that makes you go "wow." And maybe go to confession. But probably not.
For more information and to hear the band, visit www.myspace.com/surmen.
- Colorado Music Buzz Magazine
By Peter Marcus 4/25/06
......Denver-based Surmen have carved themselves a unique niche in a hip hop world filled with copycats and they will demonstrate tonight at the BlueBird Theatre, 3317 E. Colfax Ave..... - Denver Daily News
Discography
2002- "Engage The Manifesto" (compact disc)
2004-"Surmen of the Deceased" (compact disc)
2006-"Mutants on Display" (compact disc)
2007- "Deus Ex Machina" (compact disc)
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
In the beginning, somewhere in a little town in a state of red, three elements began what would become a revolutionary sound. They dwelled, multiplied, evolved, and then divided to become the compound, “Surmen”.
In their wake they left three self-recorded L.P.’s, and an underground foundation designed to launch a new musical form. Followers of this mystic sound come from the simplest as well as the strangest of backgrounds. Some describe an impending epidemic brought on by this mysterious audio element that could forever change the way mankind perceives sound.
By the will of unseen forces the six elements that when combined make the element Surmen are as follows.
Ormus Lepht: A vocal component made of water and moon-rock, known for shape-shifting and conductive properties.
Surgious-Halo: Another vocal ingredient consisting of fire and wind, known to induce random spells of de ja vu and produce spasms of rapid lyrical introspect.
Frog Nap: A base element with shaman and binding qualities, usually explores dim lit areas of the audio wasteland.
Dano: An organic cyborg transitional-acid element, possessing depressant and stimulant properties.
Jeffrey G. Brink: An element named after its creator, it controls the compounds pulsation frequency. Known to have omniscient qualities at times.
Johnny Recs: A bastardized form of another element that most still refuse to believe exists. It runs on the principles of confusion and intrigue.
Placed together on the surface of earth amid a mass of homogenized soup, Surmen’s purpose has become clear: to father new life forms that roam the shattered sound-scapes of the audio realm.
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