From Jeffery Cohen Sent Thu, Jul 2nd 1998, 18:48
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 .-/