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Favorite ThisOwen Bones: Look Down EP Review

Published: August 31, 2012

By: KT Biaz

No bones about it, this kid is making moves.  Owen Bones (a.k.a. Owen Jones) the 18-year-old prodigy from Chicago "with a thing for aggressive music" brings us his freshest in an all-new EP, Look Down. Dropping onto the scene from seemingly nowhere, Bones has made his mark with an impressive output and heavy, grimey sound, and has already been featured on The Untz Fresh Beatz twice in the past three months.  Bones' first EP (he launched his Facebook with a mini mix in July and has dropped a pile of singles since) is sure to satisfy those who have gotten a taste of his trap-tastic experiments, and it's bound to win over some new fans as well as he continues his meteoric rise.

The first track on the EP, “I'm Busy,” starts out nice and bubbly and features trap's signature crisp snares throughout.  Pulling no punches, Bones gives you that gangster ish right from the get go. Layer on some even tighter snare beats and some hi-pitched slides mid-way through and you'll be ready to hit the club.  The second half of the track feels a lot like a rehash of the first half, but when it sounded that good the first time, can you blame him for taking us back? The slightly slower bubbles that close the cut are a nice touch, mirroring the intro but adjusting the tempo to signal transition.

If we had to pick just one track off this EP, “Made You Look” would be it. The dancehall flavor of the female vocal sample on this track flirts with moombahton, but Bones goes back to his trademark heavytrap beats for the hook. Showing off his skillful production techniques and unique style, Bones drops a serious dancefloor banger here. We dare you not to grind hard to this one. Just like the temptress spitting lyrics, we're getting hot just listening to this track.

Rounding out the EP, Bones gives us the trap equivalent of a slow jam with “Someone Great.”  If someone told you there was a chill out trap track, you might not believe them, but if anyone can pull it off it's Owen Bones.  This one starts slow, but carries those chattering snares throughout. Bones softens the trap feel with droplets and a pretty melody. Taking listeners on a bit of a journey, he builds to a tougher segment mid-track, then settles back into the softer side, with stirring winds and that melody.  He continues to toy with laser sounds and a repetitive rap sample, but throughout the track the energy is decidedly more laid back then the others.

This short and sweet EP shows off a broad range within what's viewed as a fairly homogeneous sub-genre.  Leave it to a youngin' to be right on the tip of EDM's hottest craze. In his short and rapid rise on the scene this summer, he has been blazing his own path, helping build the newly coined "trapstep" style.  Blending Chi-town production talent and the southern swag of all that trap, this kid is shaping up to be a heavy hitter.  Catch him before he blows up, and snag the free download of Look Down on Bones' SoundCloud or Facebook page.


Tags: Hip Hop