Marc Mac presents Visioneers
Dirty Old Hip Hop

The 4Hero, namely Marc Mac and Dego, have been trailblazers on the hardcore/jungle scene since their beginnings in 1990.
Then there was the breakbeat shift (from "Two Pages" onwards) up to the more recent productions ("The Remix Album") tinged with soul and jazz influences.
The "Visioneers" project is born from the initiative of Marc Mac alone with a group of friends/musicians, including Luke Parkhouse on percussion and Brad Somatik on guitar and piano. Marc himself, besides taking care of the electronic part, plays the bass and lends his voice in a couple of tracks.
"Looking back to move forward" is the philosophy of this album which, contrary to its name, is not pure hip hop, and doesn't sound old and dirty at all. Perhaps, at times, deliberately "vintage", as the "needle scratch" effect is often used.
It is hip hop with jazz, r'n'b, and soul influences, robust funk guitars, an imposing rhythm section, as in the best black tradition (this is probably what the "old" in the title refers to). A sound that follows the path begun by Guru and Soul II Soul and continued by the likes of Roots, Jaydee, Pete Rock.

Quality fusion and pure groove.

All 15 tracks last around 4 minutes and include a brief interlude and 4 covers. Among these last ones, "Runnin" by The Pharcyde, followed by "Ike's Mood", a classic by Isaac Hayes reinterpreted as if it were part of the "Kill Bill" soundtrack. "The World Is Yours" originally by NAS, is enriched with the sound of the vibraphone and an almost dub arrangement. The last remake is "Old Dirty Bossa Nova" by Howard Roberts which undergoes a lounge treatment, almost as if it passed through the hands of Nicola Conte or Dimitri From Paris.
The rest of the tracks range from funk to old school rap (Funkbox), 4hero-style reminiscences (the instrumental "Rollin’ For the Ride", "Paul’s Guitar Story", "Hip Know Cypher") and female rap (the opening track "Replay").
The musical peak of the album is "Run For Cover", with Marc Mac's bass and Parkhouse's stunning drums front and center, a masterpiece of jazz-break-fusion.

Ultimately, it is a pleasant, easy-to-listen-to album while at the same time deep, rich with gems that lovers of black music shouldn't miss.