When I was in high school, I watched a lot of Adult Swim on Cartoon Network. I loved the anime and “adult cartoons” that aired at night before I headed to bed. Something that stuck with me were the Bumps. They were shown before and after each commercial break to remind viewers what channel they were on and usually featured some kind of weird, lo-fi video footage, like from a VHS, and some music to go with it.
The music often consisted of lo-fi instrumental beats that, as a white kid who grew up on Motown and blues, got to me in a way I had trouble defining. I enjoyed it enough that I picked up some Adult Swim albums like the free Warm & Scratchy, and my little brother bought me an album that included some tracks from The Mouse and the Mask. The new album, Jackin’ My Beats from local artist Gabe “Mighty Delrokz” Dela Cruz, brings me back to those evenings in the mid-2000s and the strange, dreamy feeling those Bumps brought to me.
Local Music Means Local Culture
I want to put it out there right away that I’m neither a music expert nor a music critic. I don’t have a lot of experience with this kind of music, but developing a local culture means supporting the arts in all their forms. So when I heard that Hayward teacher, DJ and record-store owner Gabe Dela Cruz had put out a new project, I knew I had to give it a listen.
I’ve yet to formally meet Gabe Dela Cruz, but we’ve orbited around each other as people active in their community often do. Between starting up The Stacks Record Shop, performing DJ sets at local businesses like Buffalo Bill’s and supporting youth walk-outs at Mt. Eden High School, Gabe’s investment in Hayward is as robust as anyone’s.
From what I’ve seen at his shop, with jazz records alongside hip-hop albums and sidelines including MF Doom action figures and retro NES games, Jackin’ My Beats brings a number of those influences into a 12-song set that will have listeners bobbing their heads, possibly before they realize it.
Lo-Fi Beats To Chill Out To
The album is entirely instrumental, with driving beats, tunes over them and some vocal samples. But the simplicity gives room for collaboration. The description on the Bandcamp page says: “Built for lyricists. Crafted for beat heads.” I imagine that an interested lyricist could work with these and make something bigger than the sum of its parts. Even on their own, though, the tracks would be perfect for any social gathering to keep the mood high while allowing people to mingle and chat.
The tracks all have strong beats that will get one’s head bobbing. And many of the vocal samples are lo-fi and unobtrusive while still delivering something extra to those who listen. Themes of social justice and defiance run through many of the tracks.
But other tracks have a dreamy quality to them or a focus on art and poetry. “Is It Real” has a strange tune with piano-like flourishes that sound like the start of a dream sequence on TV. “That’s My Poetry” also has some of these rolling, piano-like flourishes which, along with the vocal samples, are ethereal and inspirational at the same time.
Personal Favorite Tracks
One of my favorite tracks is “NJPW,” which likely stands for “New Japan Pro-Wrestling.” It opens with a sample from a Japanese announcer over a cheering crowd, likely for a wrestling match, and has a tinny, organ-like sound that reminds me of Reno or the Las Vegas of 2001’s Ocean’s Eleven. It has a great, bouncy tune that any boxer or wrestler could be introduced to.
“Stay Mighty II” exudes a light and dreamy feel, with flute samples and a jazzy female vocal sample. I can’t stop bobbing my head when it comes on. And “Sweep the Leg” has a darker tone that’s almost out of place on the album. But its running piano scales and driving beat could easily be the soundtrack to a martial arts warm-up routine.
Center Stage Isn’t Everything
Sometimes the DJ isn’t at an event to be a headliner and steal the show. Sometimes their job is to set a mood while letting people mingle and do their own thing. This album doesn’t have earworm tunes or lyrics that will stick in one’s head. But every single track had me bobbing along to the beat, whether I was listening closely or not, and many of them brought me back to the mysterious, late-night Bumps from my high school years.
While nothing is for everybody, this album will add a special sauce to any event where people want to chill out, have a few drinks and catch up with friends.
Listen to ‘Jackin’ My Beats’ by Mighty Delrokz at mightydelrokz.bandcamp.com, where it’s available for whatever you’re willing and able to pay.
Collin Thormoto is the editor of Hayward Herald, haywardherald.org. This article is republished with permission.
