“The Wu is here to bring you Shaolin's finest… But if your skills are weak you better step behind us…” Official repress of the O.G. French compilation series collecting source material sampled by RZA for Wu-Tang’s group and solo joints. Not to be confused with the RZA-approved Shaolin Soul Selection (which was a nice collection of rare Stax joints but… not the same), the Shaolin Soul series kicked off in 1998 with part 1 (this one) collecting rare darts by Ann Peebles ("Troubles, Heartaches & Sadness,” sampled in “Shadowboxin”), Syl Johnson (“Could I Be Falling In Love,” sampled in Rae & Ghost’s “Heaven & Hell”), The Charmels (“As Long As I’ve Got You” > “C.R.E.A.M.”), Bob James (“Nautilus” > “Daytona 500”), and on and on. 21 tracks altogether pressed on 4 sides of vinyl with CD version included. These comps are the ultimate crate saver for any DJ rocking funky breaks or looking to build a clever bridge between soul and hip-hop segments in their set, or, load it into your MPC or SP-12 to get your sampling chops up (also tried-and-true backyard barbecue soundtrack). Going on 20 years old, they’re almost as classic as the original joints. And don’t miss episodes two and three, also just reissued. Recommended.

• black double vinyl pressing
• includes CD
• music label: Because Music 2018

reviewed by big dumb man 04/2018