Rob Viktum- Proper Etiquette (album)

Beat Fanatic and True School DJ's member Rob Viktum unleashes an brand new set of lean, cinematic instrumentals with his latest beat-tape entitled  Proper Etiquette. Seemingly drawing from the tense and meditative sound of old-school crime funk soundtracks, Viktum has created an album filled with tightly focused cuts that feel as if they were ripped from the original reel-to-reels of a unreleased Italian cop flick from the 70's. Granted, that may sound oddly specific. But, if you're even vaguely familiar with the genre and its distinctive sound, then you know that Rob has picked an amazing stretch of music to use as his inspiration for this album. After getting a "proper" introduction from a Michael Caine*-esque narrator on the aptly titled "A Word From the O.G.", Rob Viktum gets listeners in the right paranoia-laced frame of mind with the hard-boiled album opener "Galina Lied". With frantic pianos, brassy horn-section stabs, and thumping rhythms, the high strung instrumental brings to mind the dark alleys and seedy bar scenes that made 70's cop flicks so memorable. That same keyed-up energy can be heard on other standout cuts like "EVO", "Wrong Decision", and one of my personal favorites "A Proper Strut". And while Proper Etiquette definitely captures the drama and tension of good crime-funk soundtrack, it also showcases other aspects of the genre with tracks like the slow burning "Flip The Tape Over", the folksy-sounding "Excederin", and the slinky, bedroom grind of "The Blown Out Back". And just to keep things true to form, there's also the occasional soundbyte and quick interlude thrown in just for good measure (shout out to the one and only Ric Flair!). All in all, Proper Ettiquette is a dope collection of gritty funk cuts that will fit perfectly somewhere between your 21st century beat-tapes and your 1970's soundtracks. Press play and dig the sounds.
*- properly pronounced "my co-caine"

Posted in: Beats,Rob Viktum