Album Notes

Welcome to the Vortex, better known as Denton, Texas, where the natives and settlers alike feel the mutual tugs of restlessness and peace. It's a place where creative minds will flourish or flounder depending on how their owners respond to the energies of the Vortex. The Vortexas crew use this self-titled rookie release as their claim to the hometown and as a proclamation that voices with something to say really can reverberate beyond the confines of North Texas. From the mystical to political, the solemn to the absurd, Vortexas captures the array of emotion and values held by this collective of artists. Movement and travel are perpetual themes in this album. The mic holders are concerned with questions of existence, design and social justice in tracks like "The Vortexas Temple" and "Take Off the Yoke," but that doesn't keep them from shedding the ceberal in favor of a good party every now and then. This journey would be nothing without music as the guide. Produced by Juicy the Emissary with help from Matt P and others, the diverse musical selection on this journey ebbs and flows with the class, purity and style of the most veteran of producers. Don't be surprised to hear samples of Charles Ives, Count Basie and Persian folk singers in a single track. Each beat is a delight with its own clever imagination. Only deaf ears would fail to hear the promise and poise enveloped in the musical element of this album. The Vortexas self-titled release reveals an element of thoughtfulness and creativity we aren't accustomed to hearing from the Dallas hiphop scene. It's an album that will grow on you and you'll grow with it. Keep your ear to the ground for future releases from these Texans. Beware, they're making the journey regardless of anyone else's approval.