Belterz, the new album project by Conscious Route is a social exploration of his personal experience of a changing society and culture, highlighting the insights of an ageing person living life and being an artist in the music Industry. 

Taking the perspective of an independent artist, the album features a host of top flight artists bringing different styles and perspectives as they share insights from their own journeys within the culture of the Scottish music scene.

The album musically and lyrically navigates a range of sounds and social topics, uniting the introspective with social observation, as we have come to expect from Conscious Route. Most of the production is handled battle rapper/ producer MacKenzie, with just two tracks (‘2 Guys’ produced by Tzusan and ‘Essence’ produced by Vagrant Real Estate) produced by others. Guest musicians, Chris Greive & Scott Bathgate also appear across 5 songs. With Scott Bathgate adding subtlety to ‘Ducks in a Row’ and an eerie edge to ‘Underground’, while Chris Greive brings extra trombone to the subtle style of ‘Late’, nuance to ‘Heart on Sleeves’ and a a mix of Jazz influenced keys and trombone with the track ‘2 Guys’. 

The feature-heavy project boasts guest appearances from some of Scotland's finest, with tunes featuring Empress, YBxgtown, Kryptik, Lynzie Dray, Milles Better, Gluco, Jennifer Anne Todd, One Oz, Mistah Bohze, MacKenzie, JabbaThaKut, Wends, Becci Wallace, Solareye, Queen of Harps and Pro Focus.

Conscious Route draws upon years of experience in the music industry as he casts an eye over the state of hip-hop culture and the trials of getting noticed as an underground artist. His vocals mesh perfectly with those of his guests, bringing an array of vocal styles and accents as the music flips from hip-hop head-nodders to a UK Garage throwback, some soul-tinted melodies, dub, and beyond.  

Continuing to push the culture while keeping an eye on its roots, ‘Belterz’ shows why Conscious Route has long been regarded as one of the foremost names in Scottish hip-hop. Release Date 10.11.2023 


The Skinny Magazine “Belterz” Album 4 Star Review ****
 
“But if anyone’s earned the right to be so bold, it’s Conscious Route. For over two decades, the London- born, Edinburgh-based rapper has been honing his craft, emerging from the underground as one of the finest hip-hop artists in the Scottish scene.” (Chris Sneddon) 






Tracklist:

01. Amorphous Shape ft Empress 
02. Pretentious ft YBxGtown
03. Carry On ft Kryptik 
04. Ducks in a Row ft Lynzie Dray & Milles Better 
05. Sugar Coated ft Gluco
06. Essence ft Jennifer Anne Todd
07. Day Ones ft One OZ,  Mistah Bohze, Mackenzie & JabbaThakut
08. Late ft Wends 
09. Underground ft Becci Wallace 
10. Original ft Solareye
11. Hearts on Sleeves ft Queen of Harps & Lynzie Dray
12. 2 Guys ft Pro Focus 


Music Credits: 
All tracks produced by Mackenzie, except ‘Essence’ produced by Vagrant Real Estate
and ‘2 Guys’ produced by Tzusan 
Scott Bathgate: Guitar on ‘Ducks in a Row’, guitar and keyboard on ‘Underground’
Chris Greive: Keyboards and trombone on ‘2 Guys’ and trombone on ‘Hearts on Sleeves’ 
Tracks mastered by Forest DLG @ KMJ45
Editorial Tom Clover 
Pictures by Ben Glasgow 
Artwork by John Dyer @DigitalDyer

Belterz (Radio Edit Version)

03. Carry On (Radio Edit) by Conscious Route ft Kryptik, Produced by Mackenzie

Taped Over

Johnny’s on the Water was learned from the singing of Appalachian folk singer Jean Ritchie (1922 - 2015). It twists the archetypal story of a woman left behind by a sailor, the singer rejecting grief and finding empowerment: ‘if he can live without me, I can live without him’. This line became the heart of our arrangement. 

We created this arrangement in residence at Snape Maltings in 2022. In slowing down the tempo, destabilising the rhythm, and replacing Ritchie’s sparse dulcimer accompaniment with an ensemble of modular synths, guitars and affected strings, we explore the way that the open sea warps our understanding of time and distance. The trumpet solo was played by Lissie Daly, a tireless campaigner for women in brass.

Musicians:
Lauren Spiceley - fiddle and vocals 
Joseph Woods - guitar and vocals
Martha Wiltshire - cello and vocals
Denis Wouters - electronics and vocals
Lissie Daly - trumpet
Tom O’Connor - fretless bass
Florence Brady - vocals 

Trad. arr. by Lauren Spiceley, Martha Wiltshire, Joe Woods, Denis Wouters, Lissie Daly, Tom O’Connor and Hannah Jacobs
Recorded at Pony Studios by Upcycled Sounds
Mixed by Denis Wouters
Mastered by Felix Davis
Artwork by Floortje Kattemölle, photographed by Martijn Petrus

Johnny's On The Water

Got no time for your nickels and dimes and austerities 
Im feeling so alive in the prime and honestly 

Bending the law like a straw on a beautiful field 
Cause I will never get enough 
Never ever get enough of it 

Got no patience for your lies and your spells of astrology 
Feeling hunger for the night and a life in the menagerie 

Sharpen the knife cut the ties of a stupid judging face
Cause I will never get enough 
Never ever get enough of it 


I get the juice from the loot
I get the juice from the loot
I get the juice from the loot
I get the juice from the loot

No regrets for my crimes or my lines of dirty deeds
I'm armed to the teeth with a gang of false beliefs 
Lawyering up to put a stop on the stupid judging claims 
Cause I will never get enough 
Never ever get enough of it

I get the juice from the loot
I get the juice from the loot
I get the juice from the loot
I get the juice from the loot

I get the juice from the loot
I get the juice from the loot
I get the juice from the loot
I get the juice from the loot
I get the juice from the loot
I get the juice from the loot
I get the juice from the loot
I get the juice from the loot



Short Skirts

I Don't Care

I Dont Care

BUY THIS SONG

Between Us

Garden In The Sky

Spaceman

Awfully Civilised marks a significant milestone for Broken Bear as it represents their first collaboration with a producer outside of their ranks (whose recent credits include Blur, Massive Attack, Tom Grennan, and James Bay!). This collaboration has allowed them to infuse new life into their already unique sound, resulting in a track that promises to captivate audiences with its emotive lyricism and innovative soundscapes.

Broken Bear’s signature dark, melancholic, moody, raw, and grungey style has captured the attention of BBC Introducing and Tom Robinson's BBC 6Music Mixtape and has garnered them comparisons to iconic acts such as Nirvana, Radiohead and Fleetwood Mac.


LYRICS:

I found my peace
In the middle of a war 
Became the beast 
But forgot what for
Smashed through the ceiling 
Which was also a floor 
Feeding the plants
But killing the soil

Bleach it 
Start again

Been awfully civilised 
Being awfully civilised

I cut my teeth
As a professional whore 
On my knees
I can see much more
Saving yourself 
Is killing us all

Bleach it 
Start again

Been awfully civilised 
Being awful civilised

We are adjusting to a sick society

Awfully Civilised

Chimpanzee’ is the earliest written track on the album, inspired by country influences and Bonneville’s experience of moving away for the first time. Looking out of a high-rise flat in Oxford Street Manchester, Bonneville felt like the chimpanzee shot into space in the 1960s. Many will relate, floating away on this melancholic melody and meeting the Chimpanzee and Bonneville in these feelings of being lost and confused.

Chimpanzee -Clean

Bonneville

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