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Mesi​​​/​​​М​ё​д

by GorõLana/GorqLana/ГорыЛана

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about

First I must confess that it’s rather challenging to review an album which is written in a language that you don’t fully understand. But that’s exactly what Gorq Lana (or Gorõ Lana/Горы Лана) has been doing in the Estonian hip hop scene – being the biggest name in the Russian-speaking hip hop, the guys have proven to be the missing link between Estonian and Russian speaking audience. It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand the lyrics, it’s the energy that brings people together. And these guys are the bomb when it comes to energy, igniting crowds from the front to the back, and in your stereo.
Although Gorq Lana has been active over 10 years now, ‘Mesi/Мёд’ (trnsl. “Honey”) can be considered as their first full-length album after the EP ‘Lanagraafia’ in 2010 and ‘Spekter’ together with Photoindustries in 2011. Consisting of 17 tracks, the album is full of older and newer goodies, giving a good insight of what the Lana guys have been up to in the past years.

In the interview earlier this year, the guys promised that the upcoming album will be a sweet and positive one. And I think they have kept their promise. ‘Mesi/Мёд’ is definitely a powerful hip hop album. Boom, Magnum PI, Mf Lef and Moi Cirk are sharing stories straight from the heart and their smart flows and wordplays are backed by a great variety of producers, bringing together that much missed jazz-influenced, old school hip hop sound full of bumping beats, brass instruments (cheers to IvanTwoThree on the saxophone) and catchy hooks.

To bring a few examples, check out ‘Nepunktualen’ (“Not punctual”) which was produced by the now London-based jazz-hop mistress Alina Sipps. ‘Nepunktualen’ is the anthem for the ever-late people spending their time on the everyday routines, and Boom’s catchy vocals can get stuck in your head for a long time. The song also got a cool video made by Rasmus Jurkatam, Roland Põllu and Kaur Kasepõld.‘Nikomu’ and ‘Supa Dupa’ are known party-classics to anyone who has been to a Gorq Lana live show recently. The single ‘Nikomu’ was released already in 2012 and was initially produced by the gang’s own member Moi Cirk, but it was the powerful remix by Alko that made it to the album.
Lana is showcasing their funny ways of storytelling in ‘Ju draiv mi kraza’ (“You drive me crazy”) and ‘Bigudi’ (“Hair curlers”). ‘Bigudi’ was also featured in their first ever hip hop musical Inside+Out, released earlier this year. Another great track on the album, ‘Vsem’, was the opening act in the musical. Nonetheless, next to witty lyrics they also pay their respect to the beatmaking scene like in ‘Bitmachi’, produced by C.ape.Although I don’t think it’s exactly necessary for this album, Lana’s music has reached beyond borders and hence it also features a few international collaborations like ’Ggde vzjat?’ (“Where can I get it?”) together with Osten Af Mozzarella from Sweden and a skit by Bukue One from the US. But perhaps one of the most remarkable collabs on the album is ‘Kuda i zachem?’ (“Where and why?”) with the Russian rap crew Umr cru, bridging the gap between borders, minds and hearts.

To top it up with a few personal favorites, I have to mention ‘Hoolahoop’ which brings back those good old Cypress Hill and Onyx kind of sounds, and the more relaxed ‘Spichki’ (“Matches”). And also worth mentioning is the bonus track ‘Kosmonauty’, a live-recorded remake of their song ‘Ma olen alati tahtnud saada kosmonaudiks’ (“I always wanted to be an astronaut”) from 2011.

To bring it all together – ‘Mesi/Мёд’ is a strong album, yet easy-going and full of good vibes. It’s definitely a classic album, a quality mark in the local hip hop scene. A must-listen for all the hip hop heads.

(c)The Baltic Scene

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released January 12, 2013

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Горы Лана/Gorq Lana/ Gorõ Lana Tallinn, Estonia

GORQ LANA (Boom, Mag, Mf Lef, MoiCirk, Photoindustries) - are the bright representants of the Russian-speaking hip-hop in Tallinn, Estonia

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