evil ed - the enthusiast
having been around the uk hip hop scene for quite a while, i believe that this is the debut album from the renowned dj producer. in 2004 it became obvious that there is a certain inner circle within the ukhh community with a set of albums each featuring guest slots from each other - jehst, yungun, tommy evans, skinnyman, and now evil ed.
where evil ed's album differs is that he is the provider of the loops and beats and extras and therefore the album has a solid consistent flow throughout as opposed to some of the other albums which are a set of tracks produced by various others held together by the relevant cover star. while this is the albums strength it is also its drawback as it reveals some limitations in the albums sonic palette. as repeated listenings show that ed has a certain style throughout - in other words it's a full set of mid-tempo beats matched against some old funk or jazz samples with some turntablism scratch sections. my only complaint is that a little more variety in the pacing and production styles would be cool and add a layer of originality that feels to be missing, as when he hits a good groove there is no doubting the mans talent (i look forward to any scratch mix cds that he puts out).
on the plus side, the album does however feature most of the names above: yungun, tommy evans, jehst each of whom step up and fill their spaces in the quality style that you would expect, all alongside relative unknowns (to me anyway). As always some of the collabs work and some don't (the final track 'weed' would not be missed if it fell off the edge of the album - its a tired cliche and is unnecessary).
of the good'uns there is the yungun track 'nico suave' being an obvious standout with its chanted chorus and saucy wordplay providing the first album highlight as well as bringing a smile to the listeners face, then there's the phased sample loop in 'black stallions' feat. kyza which is a lovely headbanger groove, as is the excellent radio friendly 'branded' featuring The Colony. other notables that should be mentioned ''have you forgotten' (feat lost souls) followed by a-love's wonderful vibes over the funky loops of 'captains of ..' these excellent tracks together make you really hope that evil ed gets a chance with a big budget and hits a home run and breaks through the current glass ceiling that seems to exist within the uk hip hop scene.
so for anyone who wants a fine set of solid hip hop beats and scratching, with a guest list that shows the spread of skill on the current uk scene then you could do a lot worse by picking up this fine album.