Despite having one of the most recognizable beards in all of electronic music, Cameron Argon is a man of many faces in the studio. Having dual-wielded his music projects of dubstep & drum ‘n bass (as Big Chocolate) and deathcore (as Disfiguring The Goddess) for years, his Big Chocolate guise would shake things up even further in terms of genre with the two EPs he released a year ago.
Another one of Argon’s studio projects was a trap-centric collaborative project he had with fellow producer and friend, DJ Two Stacks, under the moniker Small Face; keyword “was.” For one reason or another, the two decided to pull the plug on the project, but if Small Face was going to die, they weren’t going to let it go out with a whimper, and the wake of Small Face’s end bears a parting gift: an album, entitled RIP Small Face.
Similar to Big Chocolate's 2012 LP, Red Headed Locc, the nine tracks that make up RIP Small Face cover a lot of sonic ground. The definitive trap cuts, which make up half of the album, bring forth a nice ensemble of vibes: “Knock Demon” throws punches of trilled-out horn blares with no mercy; “Elephant Song” lays things down sleek and glossy with its sub-bass riffs and reverbed synth gasps; the warm and steady throbbing melody of “Cloud Knock” and the neatly-diced melodic patterns of “Parlament” appeal to the mellow side of things; and the experimental “1997” sounds like if Yin Yang Twins’ “The Whisper Song” was thrown into a mud-wrestling match with analog synths.
Small Face also show that they can’t stand in the realm of trap alone, and while the trope of rapid-firing 808 beats keep constant, the duo take some time to pay homage to older-era dubstep: “Relentless Tribe” brandishes those grimy old synth wails and triplet stabs; the mid-tempo “Undeniable” cranks the duo’s wobble energy up to 11; and “Soul” bridges the gap between old-school dubstep and trap, traveling from dirty synth hits to trippy choral yelps by the second drop. The biggest curveball of all, however, is “Hike Track” – perhaps it’s best not to try defining what genre it fits under, but with its peppy treble and playful melodies that eventually build into a metal-tinged crest, it’s simply extraordinary.
RIP Small Face by Big Chocolate & Dj Two Stacks
You can listen to RIP Small Face in its entirety on Big Chocolate's Bandcamp page and purchase it at a “name your price” cost. And if the quality of the album make you feel sad that Small Face will never come back, don't fret — while Small Face is laid to rest, Big Chocolate and DJ Two Stacks still anticipate working together in the future.
RIP SMALL FACE DOESNT MEAN ME AND @bigchocolate ARENT WORKING TOGETHER ANYMORE WE HAVE MORE CRAZY SHIT TO DROP AND ALOT OF PLANS
— RIPSMALLFACE DOT COM (@DJTWOSTACKS) May 25, 2015