The Soundcheck arrives.

Fortunately for Audio Push, their incredible hit record ‘Teach Me How To Jerk’ was massively successful, causing rap and dance fans globally to learn the jerk.

Unfortunately, though, for Audio Push, their incredible hit record ‘Teach Me How to Jerk’ was massively successful, making everything to follow behind seem weak in comparison.

The twosome’s new mixtape, The Soundcheck, available for free from their myspace page, does just that. And it’s a shame, because a lot of the tracks have serious potential... they’re just nothing compared to ‘TMHTJ’.   

Kicking off with the duo’s collaboration with Brandy, Aviator, the mixtape gets off to a good start. The combination of Brandy’s sexy vocals with Oktane’s distintive rapping makes this smooth track a perfect opener. The second track, however, is one of those lacking in quality. Similar in sound to Aviator, Satellite, featuring Steph Jones, doesn’t ever really get started and is lyrically inferior to the likes of Aviator.

Sadly, The Soundcheck doesn’t pick up the pace again until the end of the track listing, a whole 7 songs later. Turn it Up is a catchy dance floor track featuring Lindzee Starr whih would have been better off higher in the track listing as its most likely to keep the audience interested.  In contrast, though, the two better tracks on the collection are in the latter three. Turn It Up and, the best track of all, Come Back to Me, are divided by Girls and Clothes. G+C is an unimaginative ode to the hip-hop stereotype of “girls, cash, cars, clothes” as sung repetitively through the chorus. After the joy of Teach Me How to Jerk, I was somewhat disappointed by the boys lyrical admission of conforming to the stereotype.

Thankfully, the boys bring it back around for the final track, Come Back to Me, which, surprisingly, fills me with hope for the future of Audio Push. Another slow track, CBTM is a romantic break up song in which the adorable Price Tag showcases his singing talents for the chorus. Breaking up Oktane’s rhymes, Price beautifully begs the object of his desire to come back with some of the best lyrics in The Soundcheck, “you took the paintings off of the wall when I thought we had a masterpiece”, being just one line of note. If it were me, that voice could certainly order me around. It’s just a shame they didn’t make the most of it sooner.