quick audio picks: 123
Throwback single from Air! After a couple albums filled with ill-thought out pop experimentation ("Surfing On A Rocket"??), "Cherry Blossom Girl(1)" was a breath of fresh… no, wait, let me start over. "Cherry Blossom Girl" is classic Air, a lush and beautiful...
expand review track that came out of nowhere during a really stale period in their career, and which could easily be mistaken as an outtake from Moon Safari or their Virgin Suicides soundtrack. But of course, you're buying this for the seldom heard Simian Mobile Disco remix(2). You're in luck, 'cause that happens to be a burner, too, proving that SMD have been doing this Daft Punk-y electro house thing since way back in… 2004. Everything about this mix is cool: the glitchy sound kits, the electrified (and hella sped up) riff from the original track, and especially the big breakdown / build-up in the middle. Also included is "Fanny(3)," a gentle, stripped-down demo version of "Cherry Blossom Girl" that's totally worth listening to on its own. A-side plays at 45; B-side plays at 33. Recommended. -Chris Lemon-Red
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Reason alone not to buy this is that on the cover, it says "Air: French Band." These guys look like massive butt spelunkers on the insert art as well. Okay, if you decide to go further what you'll find is a chill...
expand review listening experience. These rump rangers have talent of true musical composition laid down in a retro-electronic fashion. Part soundtrack, part Massive Attack, part their own. You might recognize some of the tracks here like the ubiquitous "La Femme D'Argent(1)" which has found its way onto many applications. No-homo, but the female vocal tracks here are like my Pelle Pelle butter-soft leather. Give "All I Need(2)" a chance and you'll be chilling on cloud tek-9. Also peep the developing composition of "Talisman(3)" or the heroin breakdown of "Le Voyage De Penelope." Beware of the moments of over-Frenchness ("Sexy Boy?" and the vocoder-led "Remember"), but overall a pleasurable downtime experience. Not for the hard-rocks, leave this one to the small liberal school attending, drug abusing kids out there. Or tired fucks like us. Originally released in 98, heavy import press. -the mgmnt
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Armand Van Helden's "Funk Phenomena(1)" has consistently been one of our most requested dance classics, but hard to track down on any format. This 1996 hit is a bonafied classic in multiple genres including house and funky breaks, hell, you could get...
expand review away throwing it down in a hip-hop set. When I call this thing a "classic," there's no deciphering or interpretation to do, just listen, this track is pure stoopid fire. It has a universal, brainless, clear-cut formula, similar to a trusted Kenny Dope party break. Plus, was their anyone better to snatch samples in the mid-nineties from than Redman, after all that whole drum and bass / hip-hop remix movement was partially Red's indirect doing? You get the original 7 minute original version(1) plus the Kenny Dope's hip-house remix(2), MS T's Phenomenon remix(3), and the Ras Mix(4). Recommended. -the mgmnt
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GAWD-DAMN! That's all I gotta say. 23 tracks of the heaviest drum tracks I've ever heard, straight from the funk gods at Stones Throw. If anyone knows beats, its these dudes. Don't bother scratchin' your head, going "where is this loop from?"...
expand review I'll tell you - they're all written and performed by Dan Bitney, John Herndon and John Mcentire of Tortoise. If you don't know Tortoise, don't worry. Just know that they are masters and everyone of these tracks is a gem. Anywhere you drop the needle is going to be like the golden sample record at the end of a 3 week digging spree. It's that good. To humor you, check "A Safe Balm(1)," "...As Bond Did(2)," "Crass Jenny(3)" and "Craven(4)." See how the funk just seeps out yo' speakers? Oh, not enough? If you want some slumpy scratch beats, check "Sniper Growl(5)" for that hardness. And I've only mentioned cuts from the first LP (it's a double!). With people like Egon and PB Wolf on the creative team, they wouldn't leave anyone hanging. Whatever genre you're feeling, whether it's funk, disco, jazz, or rock - they got something for everyone here. Only questions left are, "How long before these drums get sampled for a hit?" and "How many copies does Gaslamp Killer have?" I see you. Highly recommended. -C'mish
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"Apples & Pears(1)" off Canyons' new EP is one of the best tracks of 2008. Whew... I've been holding that in for a month, feels good to finally say it out loud. Seriously, I don't know what's in the water down in...
expand review Perth, Australia, but these Hole In The Sky dudes are only two releases deep and already seem to have mastered the art of these grooving smokey late nite jams. (See also: Fred Cherry's "Busride To The Zoo.") I'm not even sure how much of "Apples" is original production, how much is edited, etc., but it doesn't really matter - once this song gets its hooks in you, you won't care either; crisp drums and claps, heavenly keys, sweet looped Portuguese(?) vocals and waves of static washing over everything. I could see this track getting played in so many different situations; it's also getting play from The Rub's own Cosmo Baker and Rong artist Scotty Coats, and those are some dudes with good taste. And oh yeah, the rest of the EP is great too - "Big City Lights(2)" is some really well-crafted and spooky downtempo, while "Yesterday The Dog(3)" and "More Champagne?(4)" keep it on a more upbeat electro/disco tip. All tracks clock in around the 4 1/2 - 5 minute mark. Goes without saying this is... Recommended. -Chris Lemon-Red
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I was pretty lucky to stumble upon this record. It was a late shift at the Lab store in LA, already played everything on the wall, so I grabbed this home-made looking record under the DJ booth, and damn, it was probably...
expand review the best thing I heard since I got there. Not sure who comprises Clutchy Hopkins, but they're a live downtempo band that sounds like they should be backing Portishead or releasing cult 7"s (but damn, an entire album!), it's really that good. None of the tracks have titles, but track two(1) is an incredible flute-led heater that will get you hooked. The thing that gets me here is the finesse, check track one(2) and four(3). They can go weirdo too, check Track 6(4), with its eastern-influenced guitar and dribbling piano licks. It sounds like something you'd hear on Doom's Special Herbs, but deeper. Or what about straight buttery smooth, check tracks 8(5) and 9(6), like some glistening oil on a beautiful french lady's skin in the Riviera. I won't ruin the entire surprise, there's 12 tracks in all. Recommended. -the mgmnt
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Dabrye's Two/Three was one of the best underground hip-hop albums of this year. It says a lot that when stripped of its vocals, it could also qualify as one of the top downtempo releases of the year (it gets my vote). The...
expand review shit is just sick... it's like a continuation of where Prefuse left off with Vocal Studies + Uprock Narratives: dark-tinged, sharp as hell hip-hop-electronica beats. For highlights, I could just go down the a-side: the feels-right opener "The Stand(1)," the crushing beats of "Encoded Flow(2)," the beautiful respite "That's What's Up(3)," the Dilla-influenced "Nite Eats Day(4)," and the futuristic dystopian soundtrack "Viewer Discretion(5)." Dabrye's beats are just on a higher level than the rest. 10 tracks. Recommended. -the mgmnt
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This originally came out as a limited Ninja Tune press (once available at the lab, thank you). More than a year later, they've reissued it with a new pic sleeve and art. As for the "Impending Doom(1)," lets see what Doom has...
expand review to say about it: "Bro, this beat is simply retarded yo, sounds like it came off the Hey Ricky Ricardo Show." Thanks, Doom. This is definitely a sleeper in Doom's ever-growing catalog, don't miss out. The other track on here is equally fantastic, checkout the majestic downtempo of "Just Briefly(2)." What else could there be? You get the Doom acapella(!), and two twisted b-side remixes(3,4) by Domu. Recommended. -the mgmnt
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Before dropping the Grey Album and making every critic's year-end list, DJ Danger Mouse released three remix EPs that we carried for a little while. I say "little while" because whenever they were restocked, they immediately sold out like Pure Hot Fire....
expand review Much like that damn Amerie single (PHF of right now), people would constantly call or come in the store, pestering us for more Danger Mouse, and someone finally saw fit to respond to the overwhelming demand by releasing a kind of "Best Of" from those three EPs. While I'm currently of the "Mash Up Needs To Get Shot Out of a Canon" mentality, I must admit that the Nas/Portishead(1) and the Audio Two/Air(2) remixes are two of the finer moments the genre has offered so far, and still sound remarkably well put together four years after the fact. Pick it up now, late-comers. Other mashes include "Tom's Diner" over "In Da Club(3)," Outkast's "Whole World" over Funkadelic(4), and Xzibit over Radiohead's "Karma Police(5)." -the Woodman
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If you're nostalgic of nineties downtempo, then this will be like breaking open a time capsule of untouched material. DJ Cam has dug through his archives and put together this limited edition lost album. We're not talking throwaways either, this would have...
expand review caused a Lab frenzy back in the times of lp-100 (like his classic Underground Vibes that we moved a couple hundred copies of). I could have sworn we had a couple of these tracks on 12", but digging on discogs shows no mention of these songs here. Checkout "Show Your Love(1), So What Part 2(2)," and "Lost And Found(3)" on the a-side, then the cool cover versions on the flip: "Summer Madness(4), A Supreme Love(5)," and "Nautilus(6)." 8 tracks in all, recommended. -the mgmnt
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You know that really impressionable period in your life where you don't really know anything about anything, and you meet a bunch of cool people and they introduce you to a bunch of bands, movies, concepts, etc that you take as gospel,...
expand review and you're really excited because you look around and are like "this is the golden age of me! Everything is new and exciting!" During this fertile time for me (AKA "college"), I heard the Portishead, Let Us Play!, and Endtroducing albums for the first time and, collectively, they BLEW MY MIND. I admit, this was a corny time for me (snowboarder pants + eyebrow piercing = ugh), but if I hear these albums I'll still bliss out idiotically to them. Fortunately, they're all watersheds of mid/late 90s electronic music production, and have dated well. The full length that established DJ Shadow as "the Jimi Hendrix of the sampler" (what does that even mean) is still an eminently impressive production debut, almost 10 years later. Everyone knows it was made entirely out of samples, but at the core of this album, each track transcends beyond this limitation and becomes something truly new, making it a desert island pick. OK, enough blowjobbing already, here are the songs: "Building Steam With a Grain of Salt(1)" has a crazy drum breakdown, "Number Song(2)" is based off a Metallica sample, "Changeling(3)" is in like 3/7 time, "Midnight In a Perfect World(4)" is a genre-defining masterstroke, and "What Does Your Soul Look Like Pt 1(5)" is the elegant capstone on the whole affair. If you were to ask me if this album is a must-own, I would stamp my fist into an open palm and screech "Yessssss!" 12 tracks total. -the Woodman
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Dr. Rubberfunk has been at the midtempo funk breaks game for a minute now (his first 12" dropped around 2001). This is the most refined stuff I've heard from him, check out the lean and mean "Beats Working(1)." Minus the sample drops,...
expand review it's exactly how you'd imagine a perfect live funk outfit to sound. He's one analog mastering session from Poets of Rhythm territory. "Come Back Breaker(2)" backs it up with the hot club track, sounds fail-proof to me. In show of production dexterity, the Dr. switches it up on the b-side with the sweet soul vocal track "Part Of Me(3)" featuring Sitzka and the west coast feeling instrumental "Sunset Breakup(4)" (watch for the break). Recommended. -the mgmnt
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Bstrd Boots delivers their fourth 12" of dubby downtempo remixes, this time from Dub Traffik Control. "Searching For Stalag(1)" starts it off emphatically, conglomerating "Searching For Mr. Manuva", the timeless Stalag riddim. and a Gravis roller-bag full of reggae samples. "The...
expand review Fresh Prince Of Babylon(2)" offers a sharp contrast with a sparse reggae sound that plays off of Byron Lee & The Dragonaires' "Who Dunnit." The first side ends with "Pity The Dub(3)" which places Tanya Stephens' vocals over a tough dubstep beat. The b-side steps into the bathroom for a refresher and comes back rejuvenated with "Bantu(4)," a take on the Ray Barretto track complete with drums laid down by Modest Mouse's Jeremiah Green(!). "Juana Tijuana(5)" is a latin gem re-edit, check the sparkling sounds and awesome enhanced breakbeat (the original is apparently San Diego Latin Jazz Band Agua Dulce). The record ends with a twisted, psyche-version(6) of Seu Jorge's "Rebel." Recommended. -the mgmnt
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Man, I am so excited for this shit! New Erykah!! Ak Boogs here at the Lab was telling me that producers have been sending her beats steadily over the past couple of years being like, "Make us another album Erykah! We got...
expand review beats for you!" Finally, she said yes and hence - New Amerykah (Part One).
She comes a little different on this one than her last albums, with almost a seventies soundtrack type of feel. Like it could stand next to Black Caesar or something. But it's still got that sweet, jazzy, soulful and heartfelt Erykah that we all know and love. With production from Madlib, 9th Wonder, ?uestlove and SA-RA among others, it goes everywhere from that real power to the people type anthem shit, to insightful rnb. My picks on this one are "Soldier(1)" and "Me(2)" just cuz they are too pretty and have that smooth sound that reminds me why I love her so much. Madlib's "The Healer(3)" is another banger, has that new NEW soul kinda sound and I'm feeling it. Highly Recommended. -RikRok
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