All Categories — LPs  

First volume in this series from WBLS jock Mr Magic. All the big early Profile hits from 1981-84, 12 tracks in all: Word of Mouth "King Kut", with the Profile big beat sound, Disco 4 " We're At The Party", Pebblee-Poo "A Fly Guy" (an answer to the Boogie Boys "Fly Girl"), Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde "Genius Rap" and "AM/PM" – their best cut by far, Fresh 3 MC's "Fresh", Run-DMC "Jam Master Jammin' (rmx)" and "King Of Rock", Masterdon Committee "Funkbox 2", Rock Master Scott & The Dynamic 3 "It's Life (You Gotta Think Twice)", Spyder D "Buckwheat's Beat", and Dana Dane "Nightmares".

What can we say? The Beasties continue with the live jazz/funk/garage (as in rock, not house) sound and keyboards by Money Mark. With the classic "Get It Together" featuring Q-Tip. And you can't go wrong with any LP that samples Ramelzee and K-Rob's "Beat Bop." Other tracks include "Sure Shot", "Futterman's Rule", "Shambala", "Sabotage", "The Scoop", "Do It", "Heart Attack Man", "Bodhisattva Wow", and "Root Down".

Definitely up there with the best of 1997, this 8 track ep starts off with the amazing "Scapegoat", an interesting look at blaming the world, where Slug runs through a list of things that are causing strife in life. "Primer" has hilarious and insightful verses from the perspective of the dead-end life of a white trash trailer park resident beating up on his wife/baby mother with the chorus "I own the Camaro and the mobile home, so where you gonna go." "Multiples" is another highlight, a dedication to underground MC's, b-boys, graffiti writers, and DJs. Quality mid-west hiphop from the indie heydays.

Pure AM radio pop from the glory days of MGM! Pop impresario Tony Scotti was one of the harmony vocalists who comprised Heaven Bound – and he produced the album with a sweet sound that's part late Beach Boys, part 70s Four Seasons, and part LA electric soundtrack. The record's got some real charms, and plenty of breathy 70s pop song hooks. Includes versions of Neil Young's "On The Way Home" and The Beatles' "I Will" – plus "He'd Rather Have The Rain", "I Kept On Loving You", "Five Hundred Miles", and "Come Run With Me".

Excellent compilation of Disco Not Disco style new wave tracks, on the awesome Ze imprint, with a great meeting of downtown new wave and disco sensibilities. 6 tracks in all: material "Busting Out", Was (Not Was) "Wheel Me Out", Christina "Drive My Car", Gichy Dan "Cowboys & Gangsters", Don Armando's 2nd Ave Rumba Band "Deputy Of Love" and Coati Mundi "Que Pasa/Me No Pop I".

One of the biggest moments of the New York club scene of the early 80s! The Peech Boys cut their teeth at the Paradise Garage during the classic Larry Levan years – and this album has them working with Levan to forge a record of crossover club grooves filled with linn drum beats and DMX riffing – all produced with a warmly soulful vibe that's classic Levan all the way through! The album's got a groove that mixes together bits of electro street soul with fuller, richer rhythms that are almost a precursor some of the mainstream house of years to come. Titles include a version of the group's classic "Don't Make Me Wait", plus the cuts "Love Kills Pain On Contact", "Life Is Something Special", and "On A Journey". Keith Haring cover, lots of positive vibes, and a lot easier to take seriously than the Village People!

Do not buy this expecting hissy, atonal blip hop – El-Producto is the marquee name here, but this is decisively a late model avant garde jazz record – and a pretty sweet one at that! As with many of the better records in the Blue Series, Matthew Shipp's piano rolls through the center most of the time, loosely keeping the groove going so the crack group can improvise around the edges. Blessedly, the group is more than happy to keep an underlying melodicism at the core – it's always a little ragged, but never too self consciously out. The usual Thirsty Ear subjects are in the mix – Guillermo Brown on drums, Roy Campbell, William Parker on bass, and Steve Swell on trombone. "Produced, arranged, composed and mixed" by El-P – which seems like a pretty heavy workload, but we think he fleshed ideas out with the group at the stage of conception, and let the boys do what they do, largely improvising the results. And you really can feel El-P's intellectual presence in spots, particular the sudden shifts in drum patterns, which kind of mirror the producer's penchant for drivingly broken beats. Regardless of whoever is most responsible, it's a very nice record. It's interesting without trying too damn hard to be weird, and melodic without being too cloying. Tracks include "Please Stay (Yesterday), the epic "Sunrise Over Bklyn", "Get Your Hand Off My Shoulder, Pig", "Get Modal", "Intrigue In The House Of India", "Something Is Wrong", "When The Moon Was Blue" and more.

E&A return with a new full length with a few dizzyingly strong cuts – and a slew of others that aren't quite so hot, but still register. DJ Abilities lays down some pretty rocking beats and Eyedea's flow is simply astounding on the best cuts – particularly the single "Now" . One of these days the boys will make a full length as tight as that track. "Reintroducing", "Kept", "Now", "Exausted Love", "Star Destroyer" "Get Along", "Two Men And A Lady", "Act Right", "Glass" and more.

MOP's fourth has it's share of filler and repetition, but its high points find the Brownsville boys at their bleak, confrontational best. Once again, sprinkled with beats and mixes by Premier that threaten to steal the show. Includes Welcome To Brownsville", "everyday", "Ante Up", "Face Off 2K1", "Warriorz", "Old Timerz", "Nig-gotiate", "Cold As Ice" and more. 19 in all.

Another masterful set from Beanfield – an even better album than their great Human Patterns, if you can believe that – and one with much more of an adventurous soul feel than we've heard from the boys before! The fractured electronics and broken beats feel that the group made sound so melodious in their previous work is still here, but Beanfield takes a huge step here as far as cohesive songwriting goes! Four of the album's 11 tracks feature vocals by Ernesto – the opener "Chosen", "Someone Like You", "Close To You" and "Kiss" and it's those cuts that give the album it's smooth and soulful overall feel. It's not that beats don't bump – they still skip and pulse along on the soul-based tunes, but it's all laid down with an amazing tunefulness that really kind of caught us off guard! Two of the other tracks feature vocals by Bajka, and those have a stronger club groove, but still go down very sweetly. Another great one on Compost! Other tracks include "Mr. Park", "Vertigowheel", "Welcome" featuring vocals by Marzenka (one of the more pounding club tunes in the set), "Cargo" and more.