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| 1 :: Thievery Corporation
- 'Treasures'
from 'The Mirror Conspiracy'
(4AD/Eighteenth Street Lounge)
2000 |
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Coming from across the globe in Washington D.C. Thievery Corporation is one of the freshest brewers of chilled beats. Eric Hilton and Rob Garza started stealing together in 1995 because of there similar tastes. Highly influenced by old film scores and the Latin sounds of Brazil they began creating their vision of dub meets jazz meets bossa nova. They succeed brilliantly often garnering comparisons to Kruder & Dorfmeister.
Treasures is a gem. A small gem at just over 2 minutes, I had to open the show with it. This is one of those tunes where you can remember where you were when you first heard it. It was the first tune on the 'Mirror Conspiracy' promo I had been eagerly waiting for. My jaw dropped soon after the beat did. Astounded, I immediately started the track over letting the beat drop once more. Amazing… this beat, glides out of the strings on hats, rolls forward, and then seems to reverse direction and roll you backwards. Ra ta ta ta ta tat. Simple, elegant, I love it. Start the show over and listen to it again. |
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| 2 :: Uptight Productions
- 'Get Uptight Man (NME Mix)'
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| Reworking everything from rare groove to their Vienna, Austrian neighbors Kruder & Dorfmeister, Demon Flowers and Rodney Hunter wind together dub textured swells of stepping pads, a bass line that leaves the bar as quickly as it arrives. Add to the mix classic 'Bam Bam' horns from the Sly & Robbie produced Chaka Demus and Sister Nancy tunes, and you get audio bliss. |
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| 3 :: Afterlife
- 'Falling'
from 'Simplicity Two Thousand'
(HEDK013 Hed Kandi)
2000 |
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| Finally released on the latest Afterlife full length 'Falling' features the luscious vocals of frequent Afterlife collaborator Rachel Lloyd and is produced by Steve Miller. The elements that catch me after the vocals is the unique rotating snare (snare, clap, snare pitched down, then the snare doubled up). Next is the gently acidic low b line and chords. Delicious. |
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| 4 :: Kelis
- 'I Hate You So Much Right Now (Neptunes Extended Mix)'
from 'Caught Out There'
(Virgin)
1999 |
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| You've heard of Kelis. If not from this solo debut then singing the hook on 'Baby I Got Your Money' by The Dirt Dawg - Ol' Dirty Bastard. That tune was also produced by Chad Hugo and Pharell Willams (aka The Neptunes) whose discography reads like a veritable hit list surpassed by Timbaland and few other mainstream Hip Hop/R&B producers. Some highlights: Mystical's 'Shake Ya Ass', Jay Z's 'I Just Wanna Love You', Noreaga's 'Superthug/What What', and Beenie Man's 'Jamaican Way' which also features Kelis. Only 20 years old when this album was released Kelis, she was instantly recognized as a new talent that was here to stay. With an incredibly sultry voice and the Neptunes production, she deserves all the success she receives. These days a debut R&B album of the caliber of Caught Out There is very rare. Kelis is currently working on her sophomore effort along with… The Neptunes. |
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| 5 :: N*E*R*D (No One Ever Really Dies) aka The Neptunes
- 'Bobby James'
from 'In Search of The Neptunes'
(Virgin)
2001 |
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Neptunes! Neptunes! Neptunes! The long awaited solo debut has finally dropped, and it does not disappoint. It exceeded my expectations. Popular hip hop artists rarely stray from their particular style much less try to push the borders of the genre out. So when a hugely successful production duo comes along and drops an album that is (not necessarily) radio friendly it is a big deal. The new Timbaland produced Missy Elliot album and The Neptunes N*E*R*D project are two such records. This tune has morphing flanging vocals, and an (unknown to me) Estero-esque vocalist towards the end. This is pure unavoidable Hip Hop science fiction.
The unstoppable production duo began producing in high school where they met 'Bobby James' vocalist and N*E*R*D cohort Shay, and soon ended up under the guiding hand of R&B legend Teddy Riley. For a brief time Chad and Pharell joined a rap group fronted by a then unknown Timbaland. The group produced a few unreleased tracks but never made it off the ground. Shortly after The Neptunes and Timbaland saw success separately.
The kick, the snare, the 'What What'guitar note are all Neptunes signature sounds. Fabulous. |
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| 6 :: St Germain
- 'Sure Thing'
from 'Tourist'
(Blue Note)
2000 |
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| St. Germain (Ludovic Navarre) is a great example of an artist pushing it and expanding. With 'Tourist' he pushes further away from his unique blend of jazzy French house (which helped open the doors for many other French producers) into something more freeform and much riskier. 'Sure Thing' irritated me upon my first listen. I thought, it doesn't go anywhere, or take me up or down emotionally. That's not correct, it does goes somewhere, just not where I expected and with slight turns. Luckily, I woke up to it and it is one of my favorite compositions on 'Tourist'. Consistently jazzy, funky and consciously good. If you ever have the opportunity to see one of his rare live shows, do not miss it. |
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| 7 :: Baby Mammoth
- 'One Foot Up My Arse'
from 'Motion Without Pain'
(Pork Recordings)
2000 |
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| Hard to believe this is the sixth album from Baby Mammoth since 1996. It is a terrific melding of electronics, guitars, jazz, and funk. Never content to stay in one particular predefined genre Baby Mammoth constantly delivers anything from dub to dance. The dirty hats, jazz struts, and sharp bassline are this minimal tracks delights. |
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| 8 :: Bent
- 'Cylons in Love'
from 'Programmed to Love'
(Sport/Ministry of Sound)
2000 |
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| This would be a straight rock track if you took out the electronic element. This debut album was called the "The British answer to Air" by the UK press. I wouldn't go that far though there are many obvious similarities. The outstanding 'Exercise 2' features bassline guitar wah, and the 'Cylons in Love' vocoder vocals are just two examples. But this isn't Air, it is less abstract, less revolutionary, more listener friendly, and more instantly enjoyable than 'Moon Safari'. Bent's 'Programmed to Love' easily stands on its own and is an outstanding relaxed album. I enjoy it more with each listen and find more and more combinations of disparate genres. Rarely do you hear rocky guitars with a big synthetic sub-bassline. Im looking forward to the next release from this group. |
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