Children of Zeus: Travel Light

On the July 13th, we were blessed with Children of Zeus’ debut album Travel Light. The highly respected Manchester duo steer away from the city’s Indie-Rock and Acid House stereotypes with butter-smooth soulful vocals.The duo is comprised of MC/DJ/Producer Konny Kon, formally of Manchester’s Broke’N’English, and Tyler Daley of Hip Hop collective Body Roq, providing vocals and composition. Although the album is Soul, there are elements of multiple genres throughout and a multitude of mostly fellow Mancunian features keeping it fresh.

The album is introduced by the first track ‘Story So Far’, which gives an insight into how far the duo have come, emphasising the 20 years of hard work and dedication it has taken to get there. The lo-fi Hip hop beat sets the vibe for what’s to come, along with beautiful samples and the synchronised parity of Tyler’s vocals and Konny Kon’s bars. The fact it has taken the pair so long in their career to release a debut album indicates the true extent of their perfectionism, which is undeniably displayed in this music.

‘All On You’, the most feature heavy of the album, which includes Manchester locals DRS and [K S R], again offers a lo-fi Hip-hop vibe with a lethargic bassline complimenting [K S R] and Tyler’s vocals; reminiscent of the way Dilla’s beats connected with his features.

LayFullStop, who appears on the track ‘Fear Of A Flat Planet’ is yet another Manchester feature on the 13 track release. The female vocalist calmly interchanges between laidback singing and rapping throughout her verse then continues to lead the contagious chorus throughout; leaving you already attempting to join in towards the end of the first listen. The reasoning for this feature is made apparent through the flawless musical chemistry between her voice and those of Children of Zeus, providing a welcomed old school R’n’B sound.

‘Hard Work’ seems to combine elements of reggae to the ongoing Soul sound. The bassline is familiar to that of reggae and is consolidated by the slight incorporation of the Wah pedal, as well as periods of vocals with a heavy appliance of the delay effect.

After all the years they’ve spent carefully curating this release, Children of Zeus have ended up with something special that the whole of Manchester should be proud of. The soulful theme, and attention to detail, allows it to be played from start to finish whilst maintaining a high quality and mood level. Travel Light demonstrates how Children of Zeus are an exciting contributor to Manchester’s new wave of artists, with the likes of IAMDDB and LEVELZ, who are responsible for dragging the underground limelight away from the ‘Madchester’ stereotypes and showing what else this wonderful city has to offer. It is for this reason that it’s important this album gets the attention and recognition it deserves.

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