Label owner Kevin McKay selects and mixes the best of the past and present of his esteemed deep house label Glasgow Underground on this two-disc set. “The Classics” disc shows just how quickly electronic music moves, in that tracks released between 1995 and 2000 are already considered ancient history. Happily, you’ll find none of the bombastic cheese often associated with UK house here, just a series of clever riffs on 4/4, from the sinister acid thrust of Cassio’s “Baby Love” to the organic downtempo swell of Love Rec and Karmen Ellis’ “The Scene.” The second CD (“The New Shit”) forges a glimmering future from the shards of the past, plumbing the depths of early-’80s dance music for 808 handclaps, jackin’ Chicago rhythms and robotic vocals. No electrotrash here, just fine future house with a generous helping of the LA Dream Team’s “Rockberry Jam.”
Various Artists Bobby Konders:Massive B: Mad Sick Head Nah Good Mix
On this “official dancehall mixtape” from Greensleeves (the home of countless dancehall sizzlers), Hot 97 DJ and Massive B label owner Bobby Konders avoids all the booby traps that make most hip-hop and reggae tapes unlistenable. Gone are the excessive shout-outs, dodgy 30-second mixes, and schizophrenic careening between anthems and crappy b-sides. Enter a mad sick and utterly cohesive collection of all the tunes and riddims that have been killing dances over the last year. Konders moves from the insistent bump ‘n’ wine of Elephant Man’s “Genie Dance” through Wayne Wonder’s crossover hit “No Letting Go” to Wayne Marshall’s “Check Yourself” verse over the cartoon-like Masterpiece riddim (which conjures vision of flappers line-dancing), never once dropping the energy below maximum. Highlights include Alozade, Hollow Point and Mr. Vegas’ modern-day revision of “Under Mi Sensi” over the Nintendo-driven Clappas beat, and Elephant Man’s psychotic dance instruction record “Blas» Blas»,” which segues between lisped lines like “blathaaay, blathheee-blay” and “runawaaaay when you see your enemaay.” Crucial.
Chromeo She’s In Control
It’s no easy task to send up Prince, Cameo, Hall and Oates and Stevie B at the same time and sound professional while doing it, but Montrealers Chromeo pull it off on their debut, She’s In Control. Armed with analog synths and more vocal effects than Justin Timberlake, the duo electric slides through nine tracks purpose-built to piss off techno purists and ignite club nights from Denmark to Des Moines. Sure, the porno swing and thrusting drum pulse of “Needy Girl” are ideas stolen straight from Timex Social Club’s “Rumors.” Yes, “Mercury Tears” contains even more laser light pulses and synthetic pleasures than Shannon’s “Let the Music Play.” But Chromeo succeeds where groups like W.I.T. and Avenue D have failed, infusing a two-decade-old formula with modern-day wit and musical talent. The only place She’s In Control has to prove itself is on the dancefloor, and it does.
Phasmid Her Friend The Blue Star
Phasmid is the alter ego of a civil rights lawyer and dad from Birmingham, Alabama who was inspired to make this album by Kraftwerk’s The Man Machine, old analog gear he bought in high school, and cartoons set in outer space. Its unusual birth aside, Her Friend the Blue Star is a beautiful little record, full of sweet (but not sugary) electro gurgles, strange textures, and toothsome glitch that reminds of a young Aphex Twin without all the angst. Sealing the deal is a second disc, where Bochum Welt, Tim Koch, Isan and B. Fleischmann perform detailed remix duties on Phasmid’s lilting bedtime stories.
Various Artists War (If It Feels Good, Do It!)
Gone are the ’60s activists with their guitars and tambourines; enter the sampler and the turntable. Hip-Hop Slam’s Billy Jam produced War (with additional production by DJ Pone and Dawgisht) as an homage to Steinski’s pioneering cut-and-paste production, albeit with a political bent. Almost every artist on this often dark, but also funny, funky and compelling, compilation puts a lovingly leftist twist on various Dubya speeches, resulting in gems like, “Tonight, I have a message for the people of Iraq: Go home and die.” Pone serves up appropriately bombastic remixes of Public Enemy and Mr. Lif, while Tino Corp, Azeem, Aya De Leon, Shingo2, the 13-year-old AckRightKids (ARK) and Steinski himself offer their own political commentaries.
The Ground All We Got
On “All We Got,” all you get is a hot-ass beat by Waajeed. The slumpy track would be better complemented by rough rhymes, but that’s not The Ground’s forte. For that, you have to check the flipside’s “Trust Issues,” produced by UB. This is a much more successful endeavor, with Jayem and JC Inquisitive spitting heartfelt lyrics to their paramours over an introspective and insistent beat that would sound equally at home under r&b vocals.
Vybz Kartel Up 2 Di Time
Bounty Killer’s former ghostwriter steps out of the shadows and into the limelight with his debut album, named for his trademark phrase. When you’re the hottest dancehall act in Jamaica, you get the hottest riddims: Mad Ants, Egyptian, Time Travel and Krazy all get the Kartel treatment here. Vybz scores big on collaborations “New Millennium” (with Wayne Marshall) and “Kartel and Kardinal” (with Kardinal Offishall), as well as on boom tunes “Sweet To The Belly” and “Sen On.” But the standout is “Robbery,” in which Kartel jacks Busta Rhymes’ hook from “Dangerous,” 50 Cent’s concept from “How To Rob” and all property from everyone in dancehall, his crew and producers included.
Charizma & Peanut Butter Wolf Big Shots
Only the good die young. When a bullet cut 20-year old Charizma’s life short in December of 1993, it felled one of hip-hop’s brightest talents. On this 15-song collection (recorded from 1991 to 1993), Charizma and Peanut Butter Wolf sound like the West Coast chapter of the Native Tongues. Charizma’s voice brims with eagerness, enthusiasm and earnestness; Wolf’s textured, jazzy beats epitomize boom bap and are a sign of great things to come. Charizma deals with topics from drinking apple juice and talking to girls to battling MCs and dissing R&B (remember when rappers hated the smooth shit?). Listening to this album might just make you fall in love with hip-hop all over again.
Encore Zigga Zigga
Guru said, “It’s mostly the voice,” and that’s definitely the case with Encore. Give him a decent beat and I’d listen to him read weather reports. Luckily, his rhymes are on point and his beats (provided here by next big thing Jake One) are bangers. On “Zigga Zigga,” Encore blesses the ’70s horn samples and crisp snares with his trademark vocal delivery, while the flip’s “Essentially Yours” sees him outline his master plan over a stuttering beat laced with keys.
Starving Artists Crew Motivate
If you’re into the Ugly Duckling school of feel-good backpacker rhymes and stellar production, then you’ll love this record. The funky beats bang on “Motivate,” an uptempo party rocker with happy raps, excellent scratches and some nicely flipped Kane and Kool Keith samples. The flipside’s “Organic Chemistry” is nothing short of gorgeous, with jazz horns and pianos to get you all sentimental. If you have to live in hip-hop’s past, 1992’s not a bad choice.
