0005.TUNERMUSAK 8/3/01 10:43 AM Page 90 SPUR OF THE MOMENT MUSIK {Spontaneous} Good Vibe Music/Atomic Pop : JOEL MARASIGAN mr Spontaneous comes at you manipulating a universal hip-hop sound the entire hip-hop community will feed 90 off of. Spontaneous, with assistance from some GoodVibe labelmates who also frontline as some of hip hop’s finest (Xzibit, Saukrates & DJ Drez, Rock From Heltah Skelter, Asthete, Roman Numeral & Xtrakdt of Dislexik, Bahamadia), puts down an album that will no doubt be a soon-to-be classic. Spontaneous sometimes seems to direct a cipher that crosses the rapstyles of the Pharcyde and Tash, (of the Alkaholiks) yet on cuts like “Reprezen’N (Featuring Xzibit, Saukrates & DJ Drez),” and “Transmit” (Featuring Roman Numeral & Xtrakdt of Dislexik) he changes up his delivery to prove he’s got the styles he claims. Additionally, cuts like “SRV1 (featuring Tash From Tha Alkaholiks & DJ Revolution),” “Rock to the Rhythm,” and especially “Krush Groove 2000” (featuring Kurtis Blow & DJ Phyz Ed) will inspire born again b-boys, and perhaps hip hop heads in general, to keep up rocking through 2000. FACE THE MUSIC {Isosceles} Thick N Thin Records The likeness of Joseph Simmons (Run of RUN DMC) to his brother Russell (of Def Jam) was as close to twins as you could get in the rap scene until Canada’s recently recognized Shrmpy and DJ Sasafras of Isosceles. These brothers along with third angle Boya D use a raw sound that incorporates long, jazzy xylo- phone, violin, cello and trumpet samples with world-class scratching which complements their dark style of verbal attack. Check songs like “Clean Slate,” “Dream Big,” “Open Wounds,” and “The Telepathic Triplet.” > SERVING MORE SUCKERS THAN DUM-DUMS The familiarity of their music is explained by the similarities to the production quality early hip-hop records bore—a refreshing, rough sound that keeps the b-boy roots alive. Isosceles is one group in a long list of Canadian rappers that forego all the commercialization to give the underground something to rap about. LANDMARKED {Various Artists} Lifted Research Group What is the Lifted Research Group? Is it a crew of underground MCs—maybe a fresh team of DJs? Possibly a new record company? Nope. LRG makes dope clothes. Seems lots of companies are getting in on this scene. The companies at the February ASR in Long Beach have shown that they want to be noticed in this (music review) scene. LRG stands out by producing an album that blends the parts of hip-hop that focus on the soul of funk and jazz. DJ Pash’s jazz-snippet scratching shows that his techniques are down-pat, but has a distinguish- able style that not many DJs strive to acquire. Primarily along the lines of turntable music, LRG chooses to accent the CD with only a couple of cuts with lyrics. Since, after all, LRG is a clothing company, it seems fit- ting (pun!) that track one, “First of All,” is about their clothing line—rappers find direction for their lyrics in most anything. If LRG is attempting to someway give their clothing a similar aura of the soul and funk depict- ed on its CD (or vice versa) it seems that they’ve done so, leaving most other clothing companies hangin’. DMT: C4 {Dj Cue} Stray records The Bay Area’s DJ Cue, famous for co-creating the DJ battle break record “Hamster Breaks Volume 1”, comes with his 13th project “DMT: C4” (DMT = Drum Machine Technician). DMT is a series of five CDs that alter- nates the music of DMTs DJ Cue and Eddie Def. Cue’s C4 is the second album in their series. In case you doubt the value of C4, I offer up Cue’s resume: Member of the Bullet Proof Scratch Hamsters, Member of the Space Travelers, owner of Cue’s records. C4 is a genre that cusps between rave scene and hip-hop break beat music. Branded a “Drum Machine” project, Cue’s subtle overlays, turntable style, and and beat-juggling and looping techniques shine as well as the mixing. Cue says, “DMT is not something you listen to. It is some- thing you take”. Cue’s C4 truly provides the explosion to burst into a different realm of musical psychosis— all without the use of any mind altering drugs. C4 will be the most economical natural-high you’ll ever get. INFINITE POSSIBILITIES {Amel Larrieux} 550 Music/Epic Records The voice of Groove Theory is back with her self-titled debut album. Infinite Possibilities is aimed in a slightly different direction than the 1995, Bryce Wilson (formerly of Mantronix) produced Groove Theory album. Amel steps away from the hip-hop tracks, seemingly drawing her eclectic style rhythmically from jazz, R&B and African influences; vocally from the likes of Erykah Badu, and Janet Jackson. Don’t get it twisted—Amel’s style is all her own. The transition from the up-tempo, jazz-club styled “Down” with its 90 IMPORT TUNER MAY 2000 0005.TUNERMUSAK 8/3/01 10:43 AM Page 92 double-time snare and high-hat, strumming bass, and banging piano com- first release “Do you want my love” with its funk guitar licks has a styled plements to the gentle and soulful yet jazzy, “Infinite Possibilities” R&B dance flavor that shows her Carey influence. The theme of “love” is acquaints a range that accentuates Amel’s ever-smooth style. From the saturated throughout six of the 11 song playlist—making this one of listeners point of view, Amel Larrieux falls into the funk-jazzy style artists those CDs you pick up so that you could dub its songs for the cheesy slow jam tape for your girl. Her slower tracks rustle up the vibe of mid- like Ms. Badu, D’angelo and good ol’ Soul to Soul attune to. ’90s by touching upon the aura’s of, among others, Boys to Men, Total, Groove Theory and, of course, Mariah. On the flipside, the uptempo’s OSIRIS SHOES PRESENTS DJ MIKE CZECH & DJ SMOKY take different turns in a proboble water-testing plan, bouncing between {DJ Mike Czech & DJ Smoky} Alias Distribution/Osiris Shoes the sounds of hip-hop inspired R&B and club-fashioned house. What I mentioned before that companies outside the music industry are getting into Sony will find is that CoCo performs exceptionally well at both speeds. this scene. The first time I saw a clothing company produced product I thought to myself “instant fall-off.” Damn, I was wrong. Osiris holds the level of dope- SUPREME CLIENTELE {Ghostface Killah} Epic Records ness that most good mixtapes do. Czech and Smoky fall into the pit a lot of WU-TANG! WU-TANG! Ghostface (A.K.A. Ironman) gives me a reason to DJs do by ultra-looping the sh** ot of some tracks. Both Czech and Smoky do believe that the Wu could come with solo projects that do damage. a nice job in music selection, but Czech gets props for putting together Dr. However, the CD is as cryptic as the Wu themselves. The song list declares Oop’s “Run This”, Zion I & Planet Asia’s “Critical Remix,” Rascalz’ “Gunfinger” 14 tracks but when popping this CD in my computer I get a screen chock- and the Sticky Fingaz vs. 50 Cent update of Cube’s “Jackin 4 Beats”. In what full-o-tracks...OK, 7 unlisted, untitled tracks. Geez, I like cake but I still want would be side two, Smoky mixes it up leading off with hits like ‘Def’s “Ms. Fat to know the flavor. One of the seven has a two-and-a-half minute fronting- Booty”, Pharoahe Monch’s “Simon Says”, “Nastradamus” and remixes of Mary style *hit-talking session that refers to rap artist 50 Cent. The cut “Buck J.’s “I’m Going Down” and Mobb Deep’s “Quiet Storm”. Osiris is putting this CD 50” features a five-sided attack featuring four of Wu’s best: Cappadonna, out as a promo...my imagination runs wild when thinking about the day they Method Man and Masta Killah. The fifth vocalizer, Redman, rounds out the take music distribution full power. Pretty damn good for a skateboard-shoe track giving it a familiar sound MTVers will fall for. The Clan has always tried company. Correction—damn good...period. to stay cutting edge and “Wu Banga 101” restates that by with the first line: “To advance/digi-stance/make the CD enhanced/I move with the speed JUST NO OTHER WAY {CoCo Lee} 550 Music/Epic and strength of ants”. Supreme Clientele’s musical arrangements alone Chinese born. California raised. International music star. CoCo Lee’s first make Ghostface’s album one of the crews strongest solo releases in a English language album (the only one in her whopping 24-album catalog) while. Don’t be surprised if by the time you get to track 21 you start chant- is Sony’s endeavor to bring the Mariah Carey of China stateside. Her ing: “Wu-Tang Clan and Ironman, leaders in a promised land...” 92 IMPORT TUNER MAY 2000 0005.TUNERMUSAK 8/3/01 10:43 AM Page 93 UPCOMING RELEASES MARCH THE HOT BOX BROOKLYN BREAKBEATS >I’M NOT AN ACROBAT BUT SOMETIMES I FLIP IT Ubiquity Records ATOMIC POP ORKO THE SYKOTIK ALIEN CYPRESS HILL www.atomicpop.com [email protected] Ruffhouse/Columbia Records JUNGLE BROTHERS {V.I.P.} V2 CANADIAN HIP HOP ONLINE OSIRIS SHOES/ALIAS DISTRIBUTION VARIOUS ARTISTS www.hiphopca.cihost.com Dept. 2NR Machine Soul: An Odyssey Into Electronic 7130 Convoy Court Dance Music Rhino Records COLUMBIA RECORDS San Diego, CA 92111 —Double disc set featuring Moby, www.columbiarecords.com 858.874.4970 Kraftwerk, Afrika Bambaataa, Chemical www.osirisshoes.com EPIC RECORDS/550 MUSIC Brothers, Paul Van Dyk www.epicrecords.com VARIOUS ARTISTS PRIORITY RECORDS Dept.