Rebel ACA teams up with collaborators for the inventive and fun Dance Without Fear, a reggae/hip-hop hybrid that grows in stature with each listen.
London-based artist Rebel ACA teams up with frequent collaborator French Monkey Wrench and duo iSTAND and Danny Spring on the inventive and ever-evolving Dance Without Fear. Funky, soulful, yet enticing and erratic, the track envelops its overly hip-hop/reggae tones to help push it forward into the unknown.
Starting off with a funky bassline and settled beats, the rhythm sound eerily similar to The Rolling Stones’ Sympathy For The Devil. All this is then quickly turned on its head as reggae-inspired vocals appear and sleight, atmospheric synths build into a hip-hop soundscape that changes at the drop of a hat. It’s this constant reinvention that keeps the track interesting and fresh.
The creative collaborators show off their skill at mixing and matching ideas that can only come with practice and precision. From what could have been an anarchic mix of styles, clever nuances and catchy riffs rear up amongst the storm of ideas, all built around the ongoing lyrical hooks.
With the amount going on, the track could have done with being a little longer to let it breathe a little and create more of a mystique for collaborators to play with. It still manages, however, to keep in with the underlying ideals of fun throughout, both musically and lyrically as iSTAND and Danny Sprang have fun with the rhythms and beats: “Drinking and thinking hard, that’s when the celebrating starts.”
Dance Without Fear is a plethora of ideas all wrapped around hip-hop beats and reggae stylings. The fun comes thick and fast and before you know it, it’s all over and leaves you wanting just a little bit more. The track is likely to see you reaching for that replay button more than once.
Score: 3/5
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