Red Snapper created the perfect balance between yin and yang, with masculine bass roiling relentlessly underneath a veritable pirouette of sophisticated electronic wizardry. Lo Recordings has done the nearly impossible in compiling Redone, the definitive remix album for a frustratingly difficult-to-define band. Susuma Yokota creates an elegiac homage to “Mountains and Valleys,” while the sprightly “Heavy Petting” exhibits a bit more irreverence, courtesy of David Ayer’s new side project, The Creation. There’s a decidedly blissful approach to “Dnipro” by Europa 51, a wide-ranging side project featuring members of the High Llamas and the late Mary Hansen. The three disparate mixes from the Snappers themselves are telling of their multiple personalities-one is a gothic lament, one is brazenly kitschy, and one is unabashedly aggressive.
Cottonbelly X Amounts of Niceness
This side project from Sad» producer/sideman Stuart Matthewman channels all the pent-up artistic creativity accumulated during the eight long years between Sad» albums into 14 crucial-if not essential-tracks that effortlessly traverse the borders between R&B, electronic music, dancehall and dub. The “By Your Side” remix is more strident than anything on the narcolepsy-inducing Lovers Rock, while Manjit’s Arab-esque vocals on “Take Me Away” deliver discotheque exotica without becoming corny. Both tracks are trumped by a majestic re-fix of Gregory Isaacs’s classic “Night Nurse”-a cover that somehow makes the Cool Ruler sound even cooler.
Rahzel Rahzel’s Greatest Knockouts
Rahzel is the Eighth Wonder of the hip-hop universe, a man who grasped the beatbox blueprint created by Doug E. Fresh and Buffy of the Fat Boys and took it to a new level of vocal percussion perfection. Record company politics, perhaps, have conspired to keep him down (he was once signed to MCA), but like the true champion that he is, he bounces right back up with Greatest Knockouts. If this album of classic boom bip-isms were a mere mix tape, it would be impressive. Since it’s basically just one guy doing it all (with a little help from friends like KRS-One, RZA, JS-1, and Slick Rick), it’s a mind-boggling accomplishment. Essential listening for true-schoolers.
Various Artists No More Prisons 2
From the West Coast (The Coup, Zion I, Pyro & Self Scientific) to the East Coast (Saigon, Krumbsnatcha, Dead Prez) to the Dirty South (Crooked Lettaz), NMP2 has Amerikkka covered, offering up often-scathing sociopolitical commentary on our ill society mixed in with artists’ personal views. The big surprise here is not that there are so many hip-hop artists with something to say, but the quality of the songs; dope production, wicked lyrics and catchy hooks abound. The welcome return of legendary MCs Lil’ Dap, Ed OG, and Chubb Rock (together with newcomer Ike Eyes) makes “Rich Get Rich” a must-hear, even if you’re completely apolitical. And Akbar’s “Battle Cry” makes yet another strong case for him as one of the most slept-on MCs of our time. Speaking of which, dozing on this tight comp is not something you want to do, unless you think freedom, justice and civil liberties are overrated.
Sven Wittekind & Robert Natus Bastards On The Move EP
Two of Germany’s leading hard techno producers hook up for a brutal slice of European mayhem. The title track holds no punches as the pair thrusts compressed drums through the roof, leaving just enough room for the spooky Halloween-style chimes to bring you back down.
DJ Bam Bam Here it Comes (Feat. Alex Peace)
This is the first release from Chicago’s King of Jackin’ on his own label. “Here It Comes” can only be described as an explosion of marching Chicago bass funk whipped up to a frenzy with Alex’s cool vocals. Alex also gets to bump the remix to my delight.
Switchblade 1
New label from the guys at 4 X 4, this time releasing on 10″ vinyl. Switchblade comes full pelt after a cool Goodfellows gangster sample that hits you right between the eyes. I played this at a club in Germany and some guy came up to me after the track and just shook his head saying, “You are crazy!”
Noah Pred Solitary Life EP
Hailing from Montreal, Noah Pred’s latest addition is a tribal tech-house wonder. On the a-side you have the hard yet pretty “One Track Mind,” a deep, moody track with chunky bass, soft pads and filtered highs. On the flipside, you have two deliciously deep, driving tracks with solid chords and heavy basslines. Anyone can tell Pred is blazing a new trail for tech-house lovers far and wide. A must-listen.
Philip Jeck Host
Along with Christian Marclay, Otomo Yoshihide and Martin Tetreault, UK musician Philip Jeck has been at the forefront of the reinvention of the turntable as instrument rather than mere playback device. Armed with an array of vintage record players and prepared vinyl, Jeck creates mesmerizing music through the slow accretion of a variety of simply yet radically altered sounds (choral singing, guitar, spoken word) filtered through a haze of crackles and tics. Host collects four excellent examples of Jeck’s work from 2001 and 2002, including a fascinating Quicktime video of a live radio session that sheds some light on the method behind Jeck’s highly affective music.
Lamb From Darkness to Wonder
It would be hard to top Lamb’s self-titled debut, but the duo came alarmingly close with last year’s What Sound. Sadly, their latest effort suffers mightily from coffee-shop/easy-listening syndrome, thanks to the toning down of Andy Barlow’s drum and effects machines and the heightening of Louise Rhode’s dreamy, ethereal vocals into schmaltz territory. Some tracks are exceptionally pretty (like the sparse, string-based “Learn”) and others perfectly showcase Lamb’s quirky, off-kilter character (“Open Up” and “Darkness”), but far too many dabble in a Dido-gone-digital space that sounds too contrived for a band with such a startlingly creative spark.
