Kingsway Music Library Volume 5 Review

WADDUP MASCHINE MASTERS!!! Guess who’s back? Frank Dukes, that’s who! With a new volume of the Kingsway Music Library hot enough to melt your face and burn your MPC or Maschine to ashes!

Frank is no stranger to creating vintage, lush sounding samples and music in general (peep his NASTY production on BADBADNOTGOOD & Ghostface Killah – Ray Gun ft. DOOM). Frank has proven to be a hugely progressive musical genius who pushes the creative envelope to the maximum with each Kingsway Music release. The soundscapes here are no different than previous releases with genres ranging from prog-rock, to soul. The magic of this and previous volumes is the degree to which these “songs” capture the vibe they were created to bring. So without further delay, let’s dive into this sample library.

We open with “Parts on Parts”, a lush organ driven song that feels like it was taken straight from a 1970’s Italian horror film soundtrack. It has woodwinds and layers of pianos and subtle guitars. And the icing on the cake, something done frequently in this volume, is VOICES! Frank has upped the level of authenticity by adding singing that compliments these musical pieces perfectly! Next we evolve into the atmospheric “Bubblin V2”; low and high synths drown our ears panning back and forth with this simple yet effective soundscape! Something about this one is very reminiscent of listening to sounds underwater. I can hear this being added to some heavy trap drums and creating a radio hit!

Next up is “Bombs”, which features a version with drums, and one without. The drums version has heavy drums that are pitched down to add to the already trippy feel of the track. We get old time pianos, a saturated bass and these psychedelic voices singing. The non-drum version trails out with a bass solo. With “Zeus For Real New Mix” we have more old time honky-tonk pianos complimented with subtle voices in this semi dark vibe. There are also light stomps and an upright bass. Frank really knows how to take simplicity and make it feel intricate.

The composition “Drumstomp” starts with a bass similar to a Kanye West song, which veers off into organs and pianos. The track starts driven by more stomp drums that accompany the bass to create a driving feel. This track “Drumstomp” comes in 2 versions drums and one with no percussion. Both have similar driving vibes, but removing the drums changes the vibe of the track letting the atmospheric feel of it breathe more. “Couches” is the next sample. With its twisted strange melody it has a similar vibe to “Cracked Out”
from KWM Vol 4. There is something hypnotic and darkly beautiful about it as opposed to “Cracked Out”
(which is purely creepy). Heavily filtered guitars (my guess) and bass layered with sprinkles of lighter instruments make this one sound hauntingly beautiful.

The next sample is “Crack Redo”. I’m sure from listening to it that isn’t directly related to the aforementioned “Cracked Out” from KWM 4. It is however melody driven with an eerie voice added to the mix. I found that very interesting because without the voice it would have been a completely different vibe. I dig it!  The similarly named, but definitely different “CRACKREDU” is a mellow piece I’d expect to hear on an Isaac Hayes album. Soulful guitars and bass are accompanied by a layer back piano. Epic strings subtly build to make this sample a masterpiece which actually reminds me of the vibe of Kingsway Music – Lap of Luxury 1&2.

Next we have “AroundYou”, a synth driven sample with R&B tendencies. A bending lead synth stands out against a panning atmospheric noise and more back ground synths. The next sample is “Viewpointzzz Test2″ (I’d love to hear the story behind some of these names). This one like the last is a synth based sample. It has reversed synths, bass and synth beeps. The sample ends by switching to a completely different vibe than the eerie one it starts with. “Sideways” is a short sample that has a dark brooding synth which builds up to an epic atmospheric soundscape. There are also bright synths layered with voices.

One of my favorites in this is “DoooWoop”. It’s a masterfully crafted piece that draws you in and sets a mood that even I as a wordsmith get lost trying to describe. Pianos, filtered guitars, bass and a subtle panning strings and wow, this one is just dope! We get more reverse goodness with “Gangbanglul”. There are lush guitars, bass and subtle congas. This one has a meaty sound. The reverse guitars add to the magic of this sample. “Vision” to me is somewhere between prog rock and 70’ Italian horror film music, bouncing synths and more deep bass. The wind gives it that 70’s Italian horror film feel. The composition on “Emotionally better” is my overall #1 favorite in this entire volume. Much like “DoooWoop”, its hypnotic feel is indescribable. From its dark soulful moody bass and guitar I get this feeling of escape, and I as if I’m on a journey to mysterious places by train and it’s raining. You see, I told you that me trying to describe this one couldn’t do it justice! This is a definitely a story telling sample in my opinion.

So that covers all of them. As expected, Kingway Music Vol. 5 builds upon Frank’s tradition of creating authentic vintage multi-genre samples, which can be chopped and flipped in a variety of ways. Overall, this release bringing vocals to the table has in my opinion made this one of the best yet next to Vol. 4. So, until next time, make sure and cop this one over at TheDrumBroker, and head on over to MaschineMasters.com to stay up on all the newest content reviews!

[ct_button id=”button_95″ size=”small” link=”http://zfer.us/pXpu7?d=http://hiphopdrumsamples.com/products/kingsway-music-library-vol-5-digital-download” icon=”” bg_color=”#”]Click Here to Purchase[/ct_button]

 

Leave a Reply

Studio One 4 Complete Course
Ghetto Gospel 1 Billy Blass
On the Spot 6 Mixtape
  • Cyclone
  • Recently Purchased from Colorado Springs