NOW PLAYING

May 1998

JURASSIC 5
EP
(Rumble)
The Hip Hop surprise of the year!
In a time when even the Wu Tang posse occasionally seemīs somewhat predictable, excellent acts like last yearīs Company Flow and Mos Def and now Jurassic 5, suddenly appears.

Jurassic 5 is reclaiming old school hip hopīs eclectic versatile with spoken samples, jazz-funk basslines, rapping and wondrous skills on the Technics.

Jurassic 5, Company Flow, Mos Def and Dobie shows that the hip hop scene still is the most creative and vital music scene. These artists shows that the use of deckīs and sampleīs doesnīt necessarily have to end up as slick cover versions of old disco hits with only new lyrics added. I think we need all aspects of music, but sometimes the impact from the soft hip hop cover versions are a bit to strong, particularly when it comes to radio playlists.

Jurassic 5 is aiming to revitalise the original elements of hip hop, including graffiti and b-boying through excellence in the recording and performance of their music. They are resurrecting the old school in letting their roots be manifested in their clever skits and cohesive rhyme exchange, without ever letting go of the contemporary hip hop scene.

The tempo change in Concrete Schoolyard and the flute on Jayou to Cut Chemistīs brilliant collage Lesson 6 provide evidence of a strong vitality in California hip hop.

KILLAH PRIEST
Heavy Mental
(Geffen)
Someone wrote somewhere that "Heavy Mental is the most intriguing Wu-related solo release thus far, save maybe for Genius' 1995 classic Liquid Swords". It may very well be the case, but what do we really have here? As a long time Wu-fan, I consider this album as one of the best ones out of the Shaolin Chambers. I like the samples, the strings and pianos that saturates the production. Unfortunatly the very thing that once were ground breaking is today commonly used and this album doesnīt go far beyond the expected. The Stax and Barry White samples all sound as they should. The one track that stand out is the extraordinary title track Heavy Mental with itīs minimal and sparse production built on a digeridoo loop. The production on the title track is very close to Company Flowīs brilliant single The Fire In Which We Burn in which a sitar loop is used in a similar manner.

CAPPADONNA
The Pillage
(Razor Sharp Records/Epic Street)
Cappadonnaīs album is the second release from the Wu-Shaolin Chambers 1998. The music spans from good to brilliant, the production is excellent just as with Killah Priestīs Heavy Mental.

Still, I canīt take The Pillage seriously, itīs so full of cliches and stupid skits which makes the album almost impossible to play without programming the cd-player. The Kung-Fu and gangster drama movie samples appears more and more infantile and aimed at a very young audience of school kids, rather than adults. As a result the overall impression is unfortunately a disappointment.

The fact that there are a lot of good tracks that probably will be remixed and out on vinyl sooner or later makes this album worth the effort and time anyway. I look forward to these future releases on vinyl.

BEENIE MAN
Who Am I
12"
(Greensleeves )
Outstanding Beenie Man with the smash hit of the summer! Could possibly only be sidestepped by a dancehall remix of the Beenie Man and Buju Banton team up Woman A Sample from Beenie Manīs album Many Moods Of Moses.

BOBBY WOMACK
Across 110th street
( United Artists )
Across 110th street is the title track from the Blaxploitation film with the same name. It is one of Bobby Womackīs best albums and a film score classic like Isaac Hayesīs Shaft, Curtis Mayfieldīs Superfly and Marvin Gayeīs Trouble Man.

The title track Across 110th Street is also featured in the opening and closing sequenceīs of Quentin Tarantinos movie Jackie Brown. This movie is not to be missed!

The film begins with a long shot of Jackie, as she's running through an airport. With the Bobby Womack song Across 110th Street accompanying her, her part is firmly established. A middle aged stewardess for a little airline who is (paraphrasing the song) "Doin' what she can to survive". In my book Across 110th street will be huge this summer.

Enjoy Tarantinos expert craftsmanship in the both musical and filmic sequence when Robert Forsterīs bail bonds man, Max Cherry, first meets Pam Grierīs, air stewardess Jackie Brown.

After a day held in custody for interrogation, Jackie is finally released from prison. She is slowly walking down the aisle to the prison gate, to her first meeting with the bail bonds man Cherry, who is waiting outside to take her home.

When Max Cherry actually seeīs Jackie Brown for the first time in the dim light under a lamppost, were she stops and lights a cigarett, the soundtrack burstīs with The Delfonics song Didnīt I (blow your mind this time).

Tarantinos excellent choice of music and the lonely spot of light on Jackie, gives Cherryīs sudden fascination with this beautiful woman a touch of innocence. As the soundtrack virtually explodes, life on screen becomes larger than real life, in a film aesthetic following Douglas Sirkīs romantic dramas. A truly seductive moment.

REBIRTH OF COOL
Seven
(Island)
The eclectic compilation series Rebirth Of Cool has reached volume number seven. There are twenty tracks on this double cd package and most of them are well worth to investigate. This time DJ and producer Patric Forge has concentrated on last yearīs creme de la creme of house, techno and drumīn bass, all with a touch of jazz.

The set opens with the excellent house track Get Another Plan from 1996, by Abstract Truth, the band in which Jepthte Guillaume was a former bass player. Jepthe Guillaume is now signed to the New York house labelīs Spiritual Life Music/Ibadan. The labels headman, Joe Claussell, is collaborating with Kerri Chandler on the beautifully bossa tinged Escarvos De Joe, originally composed by Brazilian mega star Milton Nascimento.

The underrated Blaze track My Beat has a wicked bass line you can dance to. Bill Rileyīs In At The Deep End with sizzling hi-hats and a looped sax and huge bass line is very cool for a hot summer night. And so is reggae singer Lucianoīs Lita (De Lata Mix) in which the original reggae is transformed into a drumīn bass samba.

Karime Kendraīs lush Chemical Imbalance comes in a awesome remix by Reprazentīs DJ Die, with stripped down beats and Karimeīs jazzy vocals in spiritual collaboration.

MASSIVE ATTACK
Mezzanine
(Circa Records)
Believe the hype! Massive Attackīs new album is exactly as good as everyone is claiming.

As a comment on Massive Attackīs enormous influnece in the contemporary dance scene, it is worth to notice that the Paul Oakenfold remix of Unfinished Sympathy released 1991, from Massiveīs first album Blue Lines still is one of the most requested remixes by a dance crowd. Everytime a dj spins it, someone always comes up to the dj and askīs what it is heīs playing. It may be the lush strings, the groovy beat or Shara Nelsonīs vocals, but Unfinished Sympathy seem to appeal to almost everyone in a dance crowd.

In 1991 Massive Attack had to drop "Attack" in their band name during the Gulf war. The record company said it was inappropriate with "Attack", because it might send the wrong signals, as the British soldiers were fighting in a war far away from Great Britain.

GARNETT SILK
Journey
(VP Records)
Journey is a satisfactory introduction to the late reggae singer Garnett Silkīs production. Journey opens with a news announcement on Garnett Silkīs death in December 1994. As the album continues, the story of Garnett Silkīs life unfolds through snippets of radio interviews with friends and colleagues.

The debut album Itīs Growing from 1992 is a masterpiece of contemporary roots music. Garnett Silk was considered by many in Jamaica as the last hope of reggae in the 1990īs era of ragga, rap and violence. His popularity has obviously made it possible for artists like Luciano, Buju Banton and Sizzla to be roots, cultural and praise Jah, like Bob Marley and Peter Tosh often was.

Many of Garnett Silkīs classic singles are collected on Journey. For instance his first recording Problem Everywhere for Delroy 'Callo' Collins made in 1987. Garnett Silkīs consistent emphasis on cultural themes - typified by Wicked, Red Natty Dread and Born Free shows a rare depth and originality. His fluid vocal style imbues all of his work with an almost religious intensity.