A new producer to be on the lookout for, Metaform drops here an instrumental hip hop album that could surprise a few heads. He's still quite unknown and needs to build a name for himself, but this migth be the LP that helps him do that. Comparisions to DJ Shadow and RJD2 are easy to make since Meta's songs are progressive rather than being a fast assault to the ears like the recent instrumental works of Dilla, Oh No and Madlib. The album has a chill vibe, you just sit back relax and listen to the beautiful sounds as they build up. Metaform uses alot of classic breaks and samples but he also incorporates electronic elements including some drum'n'bass parts, the results are usually original so it doesn't matter if you're hearing "Apache" for the 100th time. The album has flow and cohesion, it's really a good listen front to back. These aren't really instrumentals for MC's to rap on, but rather a complete album on its own. Producers need to put twice the effort when it comes to instrumental albums cause there ain't no MC to keep you entertained, the samples have to cover that job. Metaform suceeded as this album is pretty dope and should be cheked out by the instrumental hip hop heads, even if this album is only being sold on cdbaby it deserves to be heard.

Overall Rating: (A+) A beautiful edition to the Hip Hop instrumental genre. A very relaxed mix of your favorite producers and then a little bit more sprinkled on top of that. Every cut on Standing On the Shoulders of Giants is purely and simply, refreshing. Its not that Standing introduces any new aspect to the production game, but quite frankly Metaform may just have the best ear in the game. It seems like with every choice of sample and every glitch and fade, it just perfectly fits the mood and tempo of the cut. Its impossible not to be blown away at Metaform's musical prowess. Production: (A+) The production on this, though not too original in sample choice is far beyond what any producer has had the ability to do so far in terms of creating elegant stand alone Hip Hop production. The layering and progression of the sounds draws you so deep into the track, you get lost within it, staring dumbly into thin air. Everything on here is smooth and so full of soul that it could fill the heavens. I think what Metaform does so well, is to allow each sample to be an instrument within itself and never are the drums stagnant.; their always progressing the track along, changing form and remixing the works right before your ears. Favorite Tracks: As i listened to Standing for the first time and was passing out stars to individual tracks, i found myself placing fives on just about all of them. The second time through i did about the same, leaving me to believe that there are no bad tracks on Standing. I didn't really even find myself getting to bored either. If i had to choose a few tracks though, i'd go with the incredible "Barbie Doll", "Lonely Boy", and the knocker "Brick and Mortar". A brilliant piece of work.

Overall Rating: (A+) A beautiful edition to the Hip Hop instrumental genre. A very relaxed mix of your favorite producers and then a little bit more sprinkled on top of that. Every cut on Standing On the Shoulders of Giants is purely and simply, refreshing. Its not that Standing introduces any new aspect to the production game, but quite frankly Metaform may just have the best ear in the game. It seems like with every choice of sample and every glitch and fade, it just perfectly fits the mood and tempo of the cut. Its impossible not to be blown away at Metaform's musical prowess. Production: (A+) The production on this, though not too original in sample choice is far beyond what any producer has had the ability to do so far in terms of creating elegant stand alone Hip Hop production. The layering and progression of the sounds draws you so deep into the track, you get lost within it, staring dumbly into thin air. Everything on here is smooth and so full of soul that it could fill the heavens. I think what Metaform does so well, is to allow each sample to be an instrument within itself and never are the drums stagnant.; their always progressing the track along, changing form and remixing the works right before your ears. Favorite Tracks: As i listened to Standing for the first time and was passing out stars to individual tracks, i found myself placing fives on just about all of them. The second time through i did about the same, leaving me to believe that there are no bad tracks on Standing. I didn't really even find myself getting too bored either. If i had to choose a few tracks though, i'd go with the incredible "Barbie Doll", "Lonely Boy", and the knocker "Brick and Mortar". A brilliant piece of work.