keepintime : a live recording
there is almost too much on offer here to go into detail so best thing is for me to give a quick rundown and a pointer to where to get the full detail.
basically, b+ (aka brian cross) a well known documentary film maker/photographer decided to match up some heavy old school jazz drummers with some of the new turntable heros. the meet up was filmed, pictures were taken, and they all jammed with their drums and decks, and a good time was had by all. the filmed occasion was then shown across the world in various ways (dj shadow used it as an opener on a tour), and the response was wild. so they set up a live show, where the old and new performed side by side, and let rip with their respective tools of the trade. of course, this was filmed. next, the sounds from these sessions were packed off to various production gurus and djs involved, and hence the audio album was created.
subsequently, this excellent package is the result of all this, so the rest of the world can catch a glimpse of these wonderful moments.
the dvd has the original short film of the meet-n-greet 'keepintime : talking drums whispering vinyl', the live show, and a ton of some fine extras, including b+ original video promo for dj shadows 'midnight in a perfect world'. personally, the photographic discography where they display the covers of the albums that the various drummers featured on is my favourite section, these guys are the roots of the funky beat.
so now, after all that build up you want names?
old school : paul humphrey, roy porter (who appears in spirit as by the time all plans came to fruition he had died), james gadson, earl palmer
the djs : dj shadow, cut chemist, numark (j5), various beat junkies and several others !
but there is so much more ..
the cd
this is a set of remixes and dj cutups using the film soundtrack as source, some of it is straight up hip hop, some of it a little more out there. again, the names are top drawer quality :
dj shadow, cut chemist (the awesome samba grooved 'a peek in time'), j rocc, oh no (madlibs younger bro), daedulus, king britt, ammoncontact, quantic soul orchestra, charlie dark, eric coleman, dj nuts, nobody
personal faves include the dj shadow track ('bring madlib up'), where he takes the snippet which revealed that madlibs skills were being completely missed as they forgot to raise his levels, so the shout to the mixing desk crew of 'bring madlib up' is cut up over a steady hip hop beat for a couple of minutes, then there is dj nuts (a new name to me), whose own track is a spot on slice of orchestral/70's soundtrack hip hop cut up funk, and the ever reliable cut chemist, who adds a a little samba rhythm to the proceedings. of course we've heard this type of stuff all before during the '(do not mention) the trip hop' years, but it's done so well, and with such love, that complaints are few and far between. i'll admit that the album isn't perfect, and comes across as a compilation as opposed to a well structured album, as each production is vastly different in style this is bound to be the case, so alongside the hip hop there are a few jazz infused house tracks which dont do much for me, but i am sure that i am alone in this opinion, and it's a minor point considering the excellence that is on offer.
overall though this package is testament to the sheer craft, skills (old and new!), and joins the historically important with the new world, in such a way that in years to come this film should be used as an educational tool for anyone wanting to know more about the roots of the break.
sheer class in every respect.
more detail : keepintime : link