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Artist:
DJ Shadow
DJ Shadow, a.k.a. Josh Davis, could be credited with bringing newfound introspection to the gloating sounds of hip-hop. Condensed with urban oscillations and scatological beats, Endtroducing shutters with eclectic samples and aural montages that reach beyond the constraints of hip-hop style. Enhancing the mix with fundamentals of rock, soul, funk, ambient, and jazz, the modern fusions fail to go unnoticed, even by the casual listener. While most of the tracks are compiled by layering samples from vinyl treasures found in used-record bins, the production quality of the mosaic is unmatched. Darkened melodies carry throughout the album with its eye on the end of the tunnel. The narration samples come from numerous sources and keep the listener involved and waiting for resolution. With a message as fragmentary as an overheard conversation, Endtroducing conveys no apparent conclusion, but begs the mind, body, and soul for some rewind. Universal. 2004.
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Artist:
Various Artists
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Artist:
Dilated Peoples
L.A.'s Dilated Peoples get back to b-boy basics with their long-awaited major-label debut. Longtime darlings of hip-hop's underground, Dilated stays true to their roots with The Platform, combining spare, churning bass hooks with Babu's epic turntable episodes. Guest artists like Tha Alkaholiks, Planet Asia, and Freestyle Fellowships' Aceyalone add fuel to the flames set ablaze by the straight-spittings of MCs Iriscience and Evidence. Buoyantly braggadocious, the fellas swap positive abstract poetics with swagger and grace--rhymes like "I never got redemption from an honorable mention / So my lyrics hug the bat with the tightest suspension" thump chests as much as they feed souls. Their constant boasting is also the album's only setback, as all the self-lauding can, and sometimes does, get tired. --Sylvia W. Chan
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Artist:
Madlib
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Artist:
DJ Babu
Babu's influence in hip-hop started in the 1990s, as he played an essential role in the evolution of the "DJ" with the Los Angeles collective, The World Famous Beat Junkies. Taking his talents to a higher level, in 1997, he stormed the dj battle scene and was the first to win all 3 categories (Scratching, Beat Juggling, and Teams) at the International Turntablist Federation. While continuing to be a dominant force in the battle scene, Babu released a number of ground breaking mixtape albums combining intricate mixing and turntablism. Of these, the most notable included Comprehension, Duck Season Vol. 1 & 2, and his 1999 Collaboration effort Sound Bombing 2 (Rawkus Records) with fellow Beat Junkie, Dj J Rocc. As an official member of the West Coast group Dilated Peoples he stands at the forefront, as the group's DJ, he preserves the art of turntablism and lets all fans know that the "DJ" is the backbone of hip-hop. One of the most documented DJs in the world, Babu continues to appear in both national and international media outlets, including live television showcases on MTV's "Sucker Free" and BET's "Rap City", as well as feature stories in high profiled music pu...
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Artist:
Dr. Octagon
Maybe it was that downtime at Creedmoor Mental Hospital, but after he tuned out following the breakup of the hardheaded seminal hip-hop group the Ultramagnetic MCs, something must have flipped Kool Keith's wig like a mescaline pizza. I can think of no other way to explain the mutant birth of Dr. Octagonecologyst. Literally assuming another personality on this record, Dr. Octagon--Kool Keith on the mike, with Dan "The Automater" Nakamura producing--transmits unearthly rhymes like tractor beams to your cranium. Then he squirms around in there, grabs some Vaseline from your medicine cabinet, and does a little dance. The first time you listen to cuts like "Earth People" and "Blue Flowers," you might have to change the way you listen to hip-hop. The standards are the same--verse, chorus, verse, with plenty of nasty skits in the middle--and there are electro-beat shades of his predecessors, such as Afrika Baambaata, but the wordplay and beat compositions are truly light years from most hip-hop. Listening to this album is like trying to read the glyphs from Stargate. --Todd Levin
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Artist:
DJ Q-Bert
DJQBert's Wave Twisters (Classic Cassette Tape) - The classic that spawned the movie. " As you may know by now, this album is a concept album. Not only in story but in things I wanted to do in music as well. I wanted to have a variety of songs offering new and different things from skratch styles, to ways of composing, to ideas that people can make something new out of. At the same time, keeping its story line" - Qbert
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Artist:
DJ Shadow
Countless copycats have landed on the bandwagon since Josh Davis's debut, Endtroducing..., wreaked havoc in the dance and hip-hop world. But Davis, a.k.a. DJ Shadow, kept on top of his game with various collaborations--Blackalicious, U.N.K.L.E., Cut Chemist--and superlative 12-inches like "High Noon" and "Pre-Emptive Strike." Now, a full six years later, he's back with a follow-up that is every bit as impressive as his debut, albeit in a different way. Once again, the producer has pushed his sampler to the limits, but this time he's brought with it a deeper, hungrier, more bad-ass spirit that's rarely found in modern dance music. There's a fabulous '80s vibe throughout (principally on tracks like "Monosylabik" and "You Can't Go Home Again"), along with the expected forays into b-boy culture (check the growling, massive "Treach Battle Break" and the funky-ass "Mashin' on the Motorway"). While it's identifiably Shadow, it ain't Endtroducing...Part 2. It is, however, a worthy and imaginative follow-up, with humor, wisdom, and musical understanding aplenty. --Paul Sullivan
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Artist:
Various Artists
The sequel to 2002's Verve Remixed follows and improves upon the original's formula; take material from the storied vaults at Verve Records and let top DJs of the modern era have at them. Featuring an impressive roster of dance artists like Miguel Migs, Koop, and Fila Brazillia, the trick is matching DJ with jazz standard in a way that compliments both. It's a tough chore, given the classics involved and the need to do them justice. On Sarah Vaughan’s "Whatever Lola Wants," Gotan Project manage the task with distinction, filtering rustic and romantic accordions through the song's lusty machinations. Astute choices are required, like Mondo Grosso’s decision to build a solid thump out of just the central melody of Archie Shepp's "Blues For Brother George Jackson." Sometimes, the best thing to do is get out of the way; Mr. Scruff's Soul Party Mix of "Do What You Wanna" only adds some background party noise to Ramsey Lewis’ ripping keyboard solo. VR2 doesn't hit the mark every time, but the combinations that work accomplish what only the best dance music does--they crumble the walls between genres and encourage us all to get down together. --Matthew Cooke
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Artist:
The Avalanches
This re-release was praised by the likes of Rolling Stone, Spin, URB, Blender, and more as "...utterly beyond anything heard to date." Playful, twisted, psychedelic, sampledelic, delirious, and infectious, it's the sound of six men who spent most of adolescence rummaging through bargain bins in Melbourne's record shops, constructing their own post-modern disco-pop amalgam from rubbish 50's rejects and saccharine 60's pap. Also available domestically for the first time on 180 gram double vinyl.
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