Masta Ace - ‘Enuff’
taken from Disposable Arts (JCOR, 2001)

Love Unlimited - ‘Share A Little Love In Your Heart’
taken from In Heat (20th Century, 1974)

Shouts to Floodwatch for the hook-up and Travis for the info.

Although I have a ridiculous amount of respect for the one and only Masta Ace, I’m ashamed to admit that I don’t know his material in the way that I probably ought to. Sure I’ve bought/downloaded the back catalogue and enjoyed it immensely, but I’d be lying if I said that I knew his discography inside out. As such, I decided to give Disposable Arts a little spin out a couple of weeks back, and although I can’t say that I’m besotted with it in its entirety there are of course moments of both lyrical wizardry and satisfyingly bangin’ production on show that make it essential for your digital archives (the out of print CD will already set you back a pretty penny). With the sun blazing through my window it was ‘Enuff’ that made a serious impression on me, sailing through the necessary qualification for the beat deconstruction treatment.

A bouncy, upbeat and summer-tinged jam, the track is produced by Rodney Hunter, a name that had completely passed me by until a little research in preparation for this post. Originally holding an affiliation with Peter Kruder of Kruder & Dorfmeister fame, the man has a production history that is varied to say the least which makes the no frills aesthetic of this track somewhat surprising: it’s hard to imagine that this was accomplished by somebody who only dabbles in straight up hip hop production. Given the cleanliness of the bass line and Hunter’s ability with the instrument I’m assuming that the rumbling bass frequencies that underpin the main groove were also played by the man himself. Good work fella!

Sample fodder comes in the shape of Love Unlimited’s ‘Share A Little Love In Your Heart’, a pleasing yet overly lavish piece of ’70s Barry White-honed soul that at times is breathtakingly beautiful and at others cringe-worthingly corny, lifted from their album of 1974 entitled In Heat. So far looked over for the reissue treatment, I’m disappointed that someone hasn’t made the effort to put this out as I would hazard a guess that there are other delights of a similar vibe to indulge in for fans of the Walrus of Love’s meticulously executed and dramatic sound. Check the opening section of the song for the keys that form the backbone of the Masta Ace cut: you can’t miss ‘em.

Ultimately I would liked to have seen a little more of this Rodney Hunter figure within the hip hop realm, as I really do feel that this beat encapsulates that turn of the millennium production aesthetic as well as more well-established producers of the era. Still, I’m pleased that he dropped this little gem on us and so should you: if it’s sunny where you are (it certainly isn’t anymore over here), wind down the windows in the ride and enjoy. The summer’s on its way, isn’t it?!

I’m in a slightly lazy slump blogging-wise at the moment with a few other writing projects occupying my time that you’ll be hearing more about very soon. There will be a ‘proper’ post tomorrow, but in the meantime make sure you don’t miss this interview with Pete Rock from his recent evening at the Guitar Center. Would’ve loved to have been there…

Shouts to Semantik for pointing me in its direction.

DJ Krush - ‘Meiso’
taken from Meiso (Mo Wax, 1995)

DJ Krush - ‘Meiso (DJ Shadow Remix)’
taken from Meiso CDS (Mo Wax, 1996)

DJ Krush - ‘Meiso (Da Beatminerz Remix)’
taken from Meiso Another Maze (Sony, 1996)

Jaz’s recent Beatminerz compilation reminded me not only of how great their version of DJ Krush’s ‘Meiso’ is but also of the astounding quality of two other bangin’ versions by the man himself and DJ Shadow. All three have bounced around the cavities located on each side of my head for years now, but I’ll be damned if I’ve ever managed to decide on a definite favourite. Whereas the dark, brooding aesthetic of the original always instigates a relatively violent nodding of the head, the drop into the chorus on Shadow’s version is absolutely devastating… but what about the filtered groove on Da Beatminerz’s cut? Goddammit!

There are several other remixes of this track in existence, so if you think I’m missing a trick then tell me, otherwise state your preference and help cease the whirring in my head. Please.

Marvel at this man’s hair…

John Klemmer - ‘Free Soul’
taken from Blowin’ Gold (Chess, 1969)

Although I don’t know a great deal about saxophonist John Klemmer, his relatively extensive discography and collaborations with artists such as Tim Buckley, Nancy Wilson and John Lee Hooker speak volumes about his contributions to music over the last 35 years or so. Having recently stumbled upon a reissue of his first solo outing Blowin’ Gold, I was pleased to discover the rousing ‘Free Soul’, a track that has received the sample overhaul at the hands of several prestigious diggers. Although the song is most closely associated in my mind with Kurious’s ‘Leave Ya With This’ and Ed O.G.’s ‘Less Than Zero’, I wanted to instead shine a light on the following selection of cuts that either qualify as under-acknowledged or display particular finesse behind the boards.

MC Lyte - ‘Lil Paul’
taken from Ain’t No Other (First Priority/Atlantic, 1993)

Although I’m a huge fan of MC Lyte’s earlier material, there’s no doubt that her 1993 release Ain’t No Other leaves something to be desired. It’s not that the album is necessarily bad by any means, but when compared with the energy and originality of her defining moments in the late ’80s there’s definitely something missing here. With overt attempts to cash in on the more prevalent street aesthetics of the era, Ain’t No Other goes down for me as a relatively typical example of an artist trying to stay in line with contemporary trends but failing to do so very convincingly.

Having said this, ‘Lil Paul’ is an enjoyable enough number that incorporates the main sax refrain from Klemmer’s original to produce one of the standouts from the album. Honed by the essentially unknown Funk (anyone know anything about this Sweet N Lo’ album that features contributions from Funk and members of the Alkaholiks’ camp?), there’s enough bounce to the beat and variation in the production to keep things interesting and provide Lyte with a palatable platform to get verbally aggressive. Groundbreaking this ain’t, but bump it loud and that head will develop a satisfying and all-too-familiar nod: rock the house, L to the Y and the T to the E!

Akinyele - ‘Exercise’
taken from Vagina Diner (Interscope, 1993)

Picking favourite beats from Akinyele’s solo debut is nigh on impossible due to Large Pro’s devastating realised craft on Vagina Diner, but I’ve always had a soft spot for ‘Exercise’ and Ak’s somewhat goofy debunking of the virtues of exercise. In terms of the production, ‘Exercise’ features a trademark Large Pro manoeuvre with the succinct use of a low pass filter applied to the first couple of bars of the sample, although it is uncharacteristically stripped down with only drums to act as a bolster for the song’s three minute duration. Still, with that bass rumbling underneath the cymbal-heavy percussion you won’t hear me complaining: this is slammin’ early to mid ’90s production at its very finest.

Deda - ‘Blah Uno’
taken from The Original Baby Pa (BBE, 2003)

InI - ‘The Life I Live’
taken from Center Of Attention (BBE, 2003)

Yea, you guessed it: yet another ‘isn’t Pete Rock great’ diatribe. However, in this particular instance I feel comfortably justified in saying that both ‘Blah Uno’ and ‘The Life I Live’ really are amongst his best work and am thereby absolved of the nagging feeling that maybe there’s a little too much Soul Brother focus here at FDB (as if).

Pete was obviously digging on Klemmer’s LP back in the mid ’90s, using carefully selected sax loops from ‘Free Soul’ for both of his shelved projects of the era that were subsequently released on BBE in 2003. Despite my love of the InI project, my preference here lies with the Deda beat that features the same filtered bass that can be found on the Akinyele joint. In addition, Mt. Vernon’s finest adds a flurry of sax jacked from the 1.25 mark that gives the production a magnificently warm, jazzy feel that is vintage Soul Brother. Of course, the InI track is still fantastic, incorporating a couple of bars of Klemmer’s squealing sax from the 0.47 mark to sit over the Rotary Connection sample and neck-snappingly fierce drum track in the creation of a certified banger (a link would be much appreciated if you’re fortunate enough to own this album released on Cadet).

Although purists would undoubtedly cite Mecca & The Soul Brother as his finest moment on wax, this particular fan would argue that there is a sophistication to the beats in this period of Rock’s career that is unparalleled in his broad discography. It’s a damn shame that these albums fell victim to the same old industry bullshit because to my mind both Center Of Attention and The Original Baby Pa would otherwise have rightfully asserted their places as classic material. Discuss/contest/crucify at will dear readers: I’m poised and ready.

Ghost - ‘Basic Instinct’ & ‘Talk To Me’taken from Seldom Seen Often Heard (Breakin Bread, 2006) With the end of the holidays now in sight full-time employment looms once again. As such, I’m gonna be pretty busy over the next couple of days with work as well as having a short break away with the lady (gotta make the most of the holidays while they last, right?).As a result of this I’m doing something I rarely do which is simply present you with a couple of songs that are back in heavy rotation around my way without saying a great deal about them. UK producer Ghost is easily one of the shining lights of the British scene and his debut LP Seldom Seen Often Heard is exceptional, permeated from front to back with a moody and captivating vibe that is intoxicating. Here are two of my favourite cuts for your listening pleasure, the more characteristically brooding ‘Basic Instinct’ supplemented by a dose of spring-infused fun in the shape of ‘Talk To Me’. Enjoy and cop the album if you haven’t already.