After working with such legendary producers and performers as DJ Quik, Snoop Dogg, Xzibit, and many others, Clockwork recently released their freshman solo album After Midnight. Single tracks from this album have been in rotation on Seattles KUBE 93.3 and college radio stations as well. Clockwork recently returned from a tour in Sweden where they played Hultsfred and Rock Party, which featured acts such as Snoop Dogg, Marilyn Manson, and System of a Down, to name a few. Clockwork was on the Furious Nights tour with Xzibit, Lil Flip and Jin The MC. This spring will mark the start of Clockworks 35-city U.S. college tour, which will take them through the summer. Album Review www.seaspot.com Clockwork After Midnight by Keith Ancker I had been hearing from a couple of different people that this album was hot, and so we finally gave in, tracked one down and gave it a listen. After listening to it, I can understand why DJ Quik scooped these cats up, even if things didn't work out in the end. Made up of emcees Lace Cadence (who also contributed a couple tracks on the production side), Rockwell and Take One, you can tell from the gate that Clockwork are deeply rooted in the West Coast gangsta funk musically, blended with enough of that soulful Seattle steez to give them a recognizable sound. "On The Move" featuring Byrdie is a standout, uptempo club joint that should have cats moving in the club thanks to the Bean One produced banger. Despite my personal distaste for the rapid fire high hat trend that came out of the dirty, dirty, "On The Move" is a dope joint that highlights the verbal skills of the emcees behind the mic. Clockwork hang with Byrdie, who a lot of folks consider the most promising cat to take Seattle to the big leagues again. Riding steel drums and a nasty synth lick, "Goose Bumps" is a smooth but rowdy cut, with the Clockwork emcees distinguishing themselves from each other capably. Beatsmith Sekken Thaughtz, who dropped eight tracks for this project, gives West Coast heads a treat with "Dubs To Blow," paying homage to Seattle's favorite agricultural product on with a funky, nasty, Zapp influenced track. Despite messing with different types of beats, Clockwork manage to flip everything pretty well, from the Latin-flavored "Double Fisted," the vaguely Neptunes-ish "Drop That." "I Know" manages to distinguish itself with what may be the smoothest, chilled out beat I've heard in a hot minute, the kind of thing you can light up and get lost in. Definitely in the afterhours rotation. "Fallin Hard" follows it with another late night contender. While they could have cut down on the skits, the album holds together better than a lot of projects, from start to finish, with a smoothed out consistency some cats are hard pressed to find. Even the beats you can tell were influenced by other regions have enough Seattle feel to them to keep Clockwork's 206 affiliation on display. The subject matter on the album isn't anything new, parties, boasts, hustling and macking, with social commentary from that street perspective, so if you're looking for something groundbreaking, this ain't the crew. However, they take a time honored blueprint and they do it really well. They can all flow better than your average, they're no slouches lyrically when they push themselves, and the beats are solid throughout. Remember, when that Heinz guy started his ketchup company, his motto was "To do a common thing, uncommonly well." A billion dollar empire is hard to argue with. Clockwork have taken it to heart and dropped an overall product better than ninety percent of the local music that comes through this office. Oh, two more things, "Let Em Know" is dope, and unlike a lot cats, Clockwork writes a pretty catchy hook. How many albums have been sunk by s**t hooks?