Hardcore
Krav Boca – Pirate Party
Krav Boca are a band that don’t slot easily into a genre description. Predominantly using a rap or hip-hop sound, they draw elements of punk into their songs and are firmly entrenched in the underground countercultural DIY punk scene. So…punk rap? Rapping over a varied background combining free party repetitive beats, traditional hip-hop beats, repeated […]
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Krav Boca are a band that don’t slot easily into a genre description. Predominantly using a rap or hip-hop sound, they draw elements of punk into their songs and are firmly entrenched in the underground countercultural DIY punk scene.
So…punk rap?
Rapping over a varied background combining free party repetitive beats, traditional hip-hop beats, repeated snatches of samples, heavy guitars and a mandolin, the production sounds big. Krav Boca bring together French, Moroccan and Greek influences and the resultant sound has an “east meets west” flavour which is something that Killing Joke successfully experimented with. There is something in Krav Boca’s approach that reminds me of bands like Asian Dub Foundation and Fun-Da-Mental who managed to successfully fuse hip-hop and guitar music in the past—and found natural bedfellows in the punk scene.
The underlying blueprint is adorned with collaborations with seven other artists. It makes me wonder if Krav Boca recognise the limitations of their genre and the need to introduce different sounds to keep the listener engaged, or if this speaks more of their collaborative nature. Collaboration is how counter cultures thrive and survive, after all.
As an ignorant monoglot I can’t understand the French lyrics but I get the feeling behind songs like “ACAB”. Although in this case it stands for Athens Calling Athens Burning, other songs speak of hatred for the police and authority. Krav Boca speak an international language of revolutionary anger.
The intro track is a guitar driven build up and with dark undertones and a definite industrial metal feel to it. I try to avoid referencing Killing Joke (IMO were the godfathers of industrial music) and Ministry (the exemplars in that field) but they immediately spring to mind. I confess my ignorance around that genre. The energy builds and I kept expecting the vocals to kick in, to no avail.
“Nemesis” (ft. Mehdi Black Wind) starts with delicate mandolin but soon kicks in with hip-hop style rapping and a heavy guitar. The vocals are intense but the guitar and mandolin vie for attention. “ACAB” (ft. Rationalistas) progresses in a similar vein with a shouty hooligan chorus. The slow picked guitar at the start of “Eclipse” (ft. Jaul and Hrwas) leads a long build up using a more traditional drum sound and crunchy bass. The vocal delivery for the first minute or so is softer and the song sounds more subdued but builds in intensity before fading away at the end.
Krav Boca throw a bone to the punks with “TN Punx” which is a barnstorming punk rock thrash assault with some screamed shouts and a few guitar licks that will please Slayer fans (and some mandolin of course). One that will make the crowd explode at a gig. Like “Eclipse”, “Arraché” starts with picked guitar and the sensuous strumming of the mandolin. The vocal delivery is intense, with a constant barrage of words until the guest vocalist Ratur introduces a softer introspective sound. “Signal” (ft. Sponty)—a tribute to a secure messaging service—is again led by the vocals with a whole crowd of voices joining in.
“Control” (ft. longstanding anticapitalist loudmouth Lee Reed) adds soaring metal guitars to the Krav Boca sound and “Abyss” (ft. Ummo) starts with a delicate guitar part which switches to heavy and sustained minor chords. An industrial sound is the base for its pounding repetition.
The final song “Pirate Party” opens with more of a KJ feel but more towards the Ministry end of things. However, when it gets going the heaviness drops away and the bulk of the song reminds me of French drum machine driven punks Bérurier Noir and Métal Urbain. It’s in the way the drum machine rhythms relentlessly powers along and the tirade of French words spat out drives the song more than the melody. The final play out is very much in the Ministry vein.
In Pirate Party, Krav Boca have produced an album that is a tribute to a countercultural way of life in the words, music and the attitude.
Source: diyconspiracy.net
