Poizunus: Active Dreaming Disorder

The new EP from Poizunus, "Active Dreaming Disorder", is a unique and intelligent display of his talent. It’s mellow, melodic, and tells the story of an ordinary day, creating the environments through dialogue and sfx.

The first two tracks are both very mellow and dreamlike (as their names - Reality Check and Dreamin - imply); Wake Up and Waiting, the next two, are slow and beautifully layered, almost haunting. They perfectly give the impression of a slow mind in the morning.

Just to get Paid and What's Life? are repetitive and dreary, reflecting the feeling of a 9 to 5 job. Alarms, speech, traffic, and the sound of a cash register contribute to the feel of the songs.

As the man himself said, "I've always wanted to be able to create a feeling and environment through audio while letting the mind create its own images of what's being expressed." This is something he does very successfully; I found myself able to get completely lost in the atmosphere of these songs.

The only 'pure beatbox' track here is On My Way (Turnboxalism 2). It jars a little at the start, seems out of place with the flow of the other tracks, but even this is interrupted by real life and the 'plot' of the EP.

You're given no chance to get bored of any of the tracks. Most of them are brief, and those over 2 minutes are engaging and beautifully constructed. The layering is perfect and musical.

The EP winds down with Dreamin (Breathe). It's similar to Dreamin in that it starts out with quite a thin sound, before filling out into a richly textured musical piece. After a pause – perhaps representing sleep? It’s open to interpretation – Dreamin (Breathe) resumes with another surreal, almost haunting track that sums up the offbeat individuality of this EP.

Most of these tracks are very chilled and instrumental. The heaviest track is probably Nitey Nite, but you should look elsewhere if you’re looking for something to dance to in the clubs.

Poizunus has achieved competitive success, winning 1st place at 604 Hip Hop Clash 2006, but I suspect this is where his talent really lies. It’s captivating, musical, and intriguing... and I for one look forward to hearing what he puts out next!

Available as an MP3 download from