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

This track is about childhood friends, or friends from a past life who you may have lost touch with but still remember from time. Its also about how you may remember them through the films you watched together.

Getaway

She'll eat you up, don't hang around...

Niche Crush are Ollie & Loz, one from Blackpool, one from Liverpool, now living by the sea in Margate, which isn’t a pool, it’s a gate. They formed in late 2021 after drinking too many bottles of orange WKD and deciding it would be a good idea to start a band and play a gig at a spoken word event in Merthyr Tydfil, in Wales. Since that rather bizarre choice of first gig, the band have been playing their socks off where/whenever they can. They’ve also been busy writing and recording a bunch of songs in their bedroom; songs that are all named after people: people they like, people they hate, ex-girlfriends, ex-boyfriends or people with names they just think sound funny.

There’s loads songs to come, so many songs, more songs than you can stand, with verses, choruses and middle 8 breaks. Last count they have more than 50. And so, in addition to this full release, the band will also be dropping a new track every Monday on their Soundcloud page to download for free, until they get bored / run out of songs. 

So yeah. Niche Crush. That’s them. Two Hollyoaks Punks from Margate, drunk on orange WKD, falling down a flight of stairs after recording in their bedroom. They’re boss. They’re your new Niche Crush.

Upcoming Gigs
Thurs 11th April @ Paper Dress Vintage, London
Friday 26th July supporting Mystery Jets @ Margate Lido (tba)

Links
Insta: @niche_crush
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/nichecrush

Clare (Demo)

Primary Key

Lay Down Your Arms

08 - LOVE DIMENSION (Pod Mix)
BPM: 82
SOUNDS LIKE: Thompson Twins
ISRC: CARI82400008
Written by Elyce and Benjamin Russell

Music Video: https://youtu.be/7a5yDpcfUWQ

About: "There's a little part of me that some people never do see." This is a song of hope - there's another side to humans that often gets overlooked in the rush to the future.

Pleasure Center

Love Dimension (Pod Mix)

4 tunes made over most of 2023, the theme is one of sadness that leads to anger.

Broken Promises

A pop rock song featuring Leo Valentine on vocals

Losing My Memory

New Single "Candlelight". Release date - 1st of May 2024. 

Candlelight

"Pick Me Up”, a whimsical journey through life's highs and lows. The lyrics  unravel the struggle of dead-end jobs and setbacks, but the melody evolves into a rallying cry for resilience. It's a celebration of the journey itself, a reminder that strength persists even in adversity. Amidst 2 pm wake-up calls and questionable highs, the song becomes a personal mantra, embracing an indomitable spirit that refuses to be crushed. Join me on this condensed musical escapade, where "Pick Me Up" is more than a song—it's a spirited celebration of resilience in navigating life's twists and turns.

Social Links:
Website - www.paintmeincolour.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/paintmeincolour/
Instagram -https://www.instagram.com/paintmeincolour/
Spotify -https://open.spotify.com/artist/7a7Yqk6fbHYu9YG2jozo8q?si=KioeV1lUSvmli3k17FizlQ

Pick Me Up (Radio Edit)

Paint Me In Colour

Related tracks