K-Def might be one of the most underrated producers out there. The New Jersey based beatsmith came up under the wing of Marley Marl in the 90s, but went on to become one of hip hop's unsung heroes. One Man Band, his latest effort for Redefinition Records, finds the weathered producer remaking a smorgasbord of golden-era beats and sample sources into his own dope instrumentals. Everything from Milkbone to Crooklyn Dodgers to A Tribe Called Quest and much more gets covered. K-Def doesn't use samples though, it's all played by him. It's a testament to the producer's skill that these tributes come off as smoothly as they do. He could have easily rehashed the originals but instead he takes already great material and makes it uniquely his own. Recommended.

• music label: Redefinition Records 2013

reviewed by Joey Coco 04/2013