FROM DA BRICKS

For those of you new to FDB, I did start a series of instrument themed compilations back in January that I intended to keep up relatively regularly. However, what with work and other commitments, the ‘FDB Guitar Mix’ has been on the back-burner for a while and is only now seeing the light of day. I’ve had a tracklist planned for ages, but I’ve scrawled it down on various bits of paper that have inevitably ended up going astray and as such it has been through a number of different incarnations. Anyway, here it is:

1. Prince Ali – Incistroduction
2. UMCs – Woman B Out
3. Red Hot Lover Tone – Lil’ Boy Blu
4. Main Source – Atom
5. Ultimate Force – C’mon
6. Brand Nubian – Slow Down
7. Show & A.G. – Next Level (Original Mix)
8. Q-Tip – Let’s Ride
9. Mad Skillz – The Nod Factor
10. PUTS – Plunken ‘Em
11. Oktober – NYC
12. Danger Mouse & Gemini – The Only One
13. Ed O.G. – Love Comes And Goes
14. INI – What You Say
15. Lord Finesse – Bud Mutha
16. The Roots – What They Do
17. Common – I Used To Love H.E.R.

What I love about a good guitar sample is that it clearly harks back to hip hop’s foundations in funk, and as a result, tunes that utilise them often have an upbeat and positive vibe that feels fitting as we head into Spring (finger’s crossed) in the UK. Although I’m not going to break this down song by song, there are a few cuts here that deserve a special mention. I’ve already commented on P.A.’s ‘I Miss 1994’ release on FDB, but given that I have been killing the intro so regularly of late, I felt it fitting to kick off the compilation with the album opener, ‘Incistroduction’. Although the release as a whole is not mind-blowing, I think this beat is excellent and does a good job of incorporating a mellow guitar loop into a heavy beat. Oktober’s ‘NYC’ is a straight up banger off his ‘Projekt: Building’ release which in all honesty I was a little disappointed with, but there is no question that this joint has that infectious head nodding factor that should appeal to the majority of readers here at FDB. Finally, Ultimate Force’s ‘C’mon’ is off their shelved album ‘I’m Not Playin” that sees an official release at the end of this month: 1990, Diamond D production… need I say more? Get it when it drops.

All in, I’m pretty happy with this compilation and indeed the series as a whole (I’ve included the links for all four in case you missed them first time around), and I hope to continue with this idea in the future, time-permitting. If you’re feeling it, drop a comment and I may just set aside a bit of time to do the series justice over the coming months… it’s in your hands.

FDB Guitar Mix
FDB Piano Mix
FDB Strings Mix
FDB Horn Mix

Nick Drake

As with the other FDB compilations, I’m taking the opportunity to throw up something a little different that falls in line with the theme of the mix. Nick Drake has garnered a massive cult following here in the UK, perhaps in part due to his tragic and untimely death, but also because his music is of such beauty that it still holds resonance close to 40 years after its initial composition. I remember seeing ‘Pink Moon’ at the top of numerous music press lists of ‘great albums that never make the top 100 albums lists’ and as a result I bought it in my third year of university. Drake suffered from depression, and it is said that he recorded this album facing a wall during late-night solitary sessions only to walk into Island records one day and dump it on their desk. This is reflected in the album’s stripped down purity: this is largely Drake’s voice, his guitar and little else. I’m not usually a massive fan of folk, but this is undeniably beautiful music that I strongly recommend. It’s pretty far removed from hip hop and may not be your bag: give it a try and let me know.