Juven - Space Trademark: The Sessions.

Picture source: http://spacedoutjuven.com/pictures

Artist: Juven

Album:  Space Trademark: The Sessions. 

Genre: hip-hop, rnb, soul, rap

The sky is the limit for Houston hip-hop artist Juven, in his release of his astronomical EP - Space Trademark: The Sessions.

Dubbing himself 'Spaced-Out Juven', the 27-year-old is dabbling in themes of 'misunderstanding' and confusion in his 2013 release, taking on a literal approach via the use of 'space' metaphors to explain 'alienation' and departure from societal norms. Juven's quest for 'musical discovery' throughout these themes has gained him attention within the hip-hop sphere, creating a niche for himself in the American music scene in states such as Missouri, New Orleans and his hometowns of Houston and California.

Finding influence in performers such as Virginia's Pharell Williams and Brooklyn-born Busta Rhymes, Juven's musical inspirations are clearly heard in his performances, yet don't act to compromise his own originality and personal flair.

Juven - Space Trademark: The Sessions. 

The first track of the album, 'Runaway On The Farcyde' is a prime example of Juven's creativity and expression of originality. Teaming up with emerging R&B songstress Tiffany Star, Juven works to his strengths - contrasting upbeat rap sections with Star's more mellowed choruses. The male/female duo work well in this instance, providing a hooking introduction to the EP and demonstrating a well-defined layout of the upcoming songs on the track. Songs such as 'Runaway On The Farcyde', which lean towards a more pop influence, would not sound out of place playing on the commercial music stations of today.

A few tracks further down in Space Trademark: The Sessions, the mood changes with 'Ziggy Ziggy' (ft. Teek Da Don) and 'She Spaced Out (ft. Nosa)'. Taking on another atmosphere altogether, Juven's tracks sound made for the club scene. Ziggy Ziggy is repetitive by nature, which allows for a good dance track that is simple to follow, while 'She Spaced Out' allows Juven to showcase his impressive rapping talent.

The remaining tracks all fit within a more mellowed category. Juven takes the listener back to 'classic and clean' R&B with the majority of the EP. The tone of the music is slower in the second half of the track listing, allowing for time to appreciate the lyrical content and the holistic approach to creating a fluent 'space' theme throughout the piece.

It is interesting to note that although each song follows the narrative association with 'space', a large majority of tracks are produced under different labels. Predominately, Juven has paired up to create the EP with producer ID Labs, but also draws upon production techniques from Ric and Thadues, Brandon Lee, Artem and Jayaruh Productions for tracks Cruise Control, Ziggy Ziggy, Cunning Space and She Spaced Out respectively.

This coming month, Juven is expected to expand on the artist/producer relationships created throughout the recording and distribution of Space Trademark: The Sessions. Working with Big Jerm from ID Labs, Juven is expecting to release a new mix tape, titled 'Unreleased Data' this September, which will feature vocals from Georgian Hip-Hop artist, 'Ka Flame'. 

With the success of Space Trademark: The Sessions, Juven is set to reach star status in little to no time at all. Fans, R&B enthusiasts and astronomers alike are encouraged to 'watch this space' for further success.

View album here

By Lily Pavlovic posted Sat 7 September, 2013, for STSBM