From Brad Shelton Sent Tue, Jun 30th 1998, 20:54
From Brad Shelton Sent Tue, Jun 30th 1998, 20:54
Heya,
I'm completely enjoying a recently acquired copy of Derrick May
'Innovator' (2xCD).. I've got a few questions about the release.
One, Is this a straight repackaging of 2 previously released Derrick May
full-lengths? It seems so on the one hand (disk 1 being 'Rythim is
Rythim' and disk 2 being 'Mayday'), but on the other the tracks seem to
be in some cases snippets, alternate mixes and otherwise non-standard
versions (see below).
Two, track 2 on disk 1 is labeled 'strings of the strings of life'. Is
this _the_ 'Strings of Life'? If so, what's up with the name? Maybe
track 12 disk 2 is the original.. ("strings" - the original mix) then
again maybe it's the original demo version (my first impression)..
Three, track 11 on disk 1 is labeled 'it is what it is'. Cool, that's
one of the tracks the liner notes points to as one of May's 'timeless
classics'. Only, the track clocks in at.. 9 seconds on the CD. So is
this just a 9 second teaser for the real track, is the CD mislabeled, or
what? =)
In case you, the reader, don't know, this release is stellar. It's one
thing to be told that 'Detroit is where it started', but it is truly
fascinating to hear it for oneself. BDP's 'Bytes' in particular is
clearly cast in the mold of Derrick May's material. Not a slam, but a
compliment to all involved- it's a deep, beautiful sound.
Thanks in advance for any answers/comments.
Brad Shelton
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