From Jeffery Cohen Sent Thu, Jul 2nd 1998, 18:48
a couple more reviews of some records that deserve your attention, on the d&b side of things. R Notorious J / Shaun Bear - Impulse (Rawkus/T.O.V. USA) You might be familiar with Rawkus, the label that is home to alot of the newer indie hip-hip revivalists, like Mos Def, Talib Kweli and a multitude of others. But, not only do they put out the freshest hip-hop, they've started with some d&b, with the urban style, of course. The a-side is Impulse, the weaker of the two tracks here, IMO. It starts off with an acidic drop, and some hip-hop styled breaks, but not very energetic. A bassline with the live feel comes into the picture, along with a darker b-line. A sampled vocalist appears, the drums start to pick up the pace, and the synth pads (?) rise to be seen. This track isn't one you'll play every day, but it's kind of cool to hear both basslines playing off of each other. It's more of a builder, something to start your set off with. Side aa is Take It Like A Pro, whichs starts off immediately with some tight breaks, the title sample, and a first b-line, which, again, isn't too motivated. But, as the drums fade out, and the new bassline fades in, the pace picks up and carries track off into some nice, hip-hop influenced d&b. Check http://www.rawkus.com for more details about this, the deal with Trouble On Vinyl, and the list of places to pick Rawkus stuff up. .jeff / chris. .do not condemn the judgement of another because it differs from your own. \-. you may both be wrong .-/