LA-based duo Sixth & College have been making music for the better part of a decade. Through experimenting with multiple yet complimentary genres, they synthesised their musical interests and found their unique and personal sound.
With unmistakable soul influences and retro hip hop techniques found a lot throughout hip hop’s emergence in 1980’s New York – those high-pitched backing vocals and licks – their debut single Bounce Off is a snapshot of hip hop and soul throughout the past 30 years. Sixth & College seamlessly blend the pulse of electronic drum machines with the smooth, charismatic vocal techniques of the soul genre.
LA hip hop duo Sixth & College present their debut single Bounce Off, a soulful slice of hip hop that proves years of experience dabbling in different genres definitely counts for something.
The song kicks off fairly laid back, with drawn out vocals that set you up for a chilled out vibe. Soon this relaxed tenor switches swiftly into a rap that makes it feel as though they’ve abandoned the singing – it’s not coming back. But they do, switching between both rapping and singing in acrobatic arabesques, dodging the standard verse-chorus-verse formula for something far more interesting.
The changes are quick and sudden, however not in a disjointed or jaded way. They add texture to the song, giving it an extra dimension. There remains a steady flow until the last twenty seconds or so, when the drumbeats used differ and the tempo changes. That’s not saying the song wouldn’t be enjoyable without these changes, not every piece of music has to be a smorgasbord of technique and instruments; songs are allowed to be simple, easy and enjoyable, and that’s exactly what Sixth & College have given us, with a little spice added in here and there.
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Sixth & College may have been dabbling in music for quite a while, however when it comes to taking it to the world, they are babies, newborns, if you will. Bounce Off was only released in late March, just a few weeks ago, but it gives every indication of their seasoned experience with writing and producing music. The track has this bittersweet, romanticised feel to it. The changes of tone colour in Jeremy Porcha’s voice bolster the emotion behind the music, injecting soul into hip hop.
We cannot wait to see what the next single is, and there are whispers of an EP in the works too. These guys are something special, and I feel the perfect winter (for those of us in the Southern Hemisphere) soundtrack brewing.
