dm and jemini - twenty six inch ep
6 tracks which sets new remixes from their recent lp and brand new tracks spread over 22 minutes showcaseing why these guys have been deemed the creators of one of the best hip-hop albums of the year.
opening with a remix of 'what you sittin'on which features cee lo and tha alkaholiks that adds cee lo's mad psycho-delic soul-esque vocals to a twisted stripped down beat and nasty electro processed bassline over which the alko's let the words flow. superb stuff. having not heard the original i cant advise if the remix is far removed or just a sonic touch up. even so, this is special. next up is a supreme version of ghetto pop life with its massive sampled vocal chorus that holds the whole thing together and featuring sadat x. the melody line that dangermouse loops is addictive but still keeping it on the right side of sonic experimentation with its overdubs of real life action and the hard hitting wordplay.
this is by far one of the best hip-hop tracks of 2003.
new track next, 'the sh!t' is a funky party track, old school beatbox loops and orchestral stabs/scratches matched against an insanely catchy chorus ( you'll be singing along with the 'i'm a bad motherf*cker' loop - trust me!) making this a wonderful aural trip, we're on a roll now.
next up, we get a very chilled out vibes mix of ghetto pop life, this is far more radio friendly with an almost soul vibe to the sounds, all the massive choral samples have been removed and in their place there are strings/flutes and mellowness. a nice twist, but i do prefer the original which has an edginess that i like.
fifth track 'omega supreme - dm remix', a nice summer vibe starts the track off. then dm starts cutting up the beats/samples making the flow break and restart in a surreal fashion. but this shift from normality just pulls the listener further into the world they have created. newsreel snippets are then overdubbed, and the detailed lyrical wordplay that just sits perfectly with the 70's soul style of the instrumental backing once again making sure this is high quality. listenable and yet still cuting edge, as is the final track 'live on both sides' which slaps another classical music sample against regulation hip-hop beats, and a funky piano loop, superb.
the roots of old school with elements of modern production techniques matched against non-thug lyrical content, challenging lyrics (ie you want to listen to this ... get the words/stories), make this ep hugely enjoyable.
truly excellent stuff.
oh, and one more thing, the current lex packaging is by far one of the most easily recognisable forms of cover art in many a year, recalling the old tDR days when you could spot one of their covers a mile off. so a nod to ehquestionmark.com for making these look like no other hip hop releases on the racks.
not a single rippling muscular torso/gold chain to be seen anywhere. a good thing.
this ep provides immeasurable pleasure.