Note: You may find typos and other grammatical errors in this discography, but these are intentional as it appears this way on the record sleeve itself. However, if you feel that I messed up anywhere or need to add, change, or delete something, let me know.
Liner notes: Straight outta BROOKLYN, these percursor's of America's "New Soul" field trip on an immaculate groove of soul spiced with funk, jazz, salsa and hip hop. Influenced by the sounds, style and fashions of the streets. REPERCUSSIONS retain a unique identity inspired by their individual backgrounds -- STRICTLY LIVE AND SAMPLE FREE.
Review: This was the first Mo' Wax record I ever heard, and I still like it to this day. Very much on the normal "acid jazz" side of things, "Promise" is a catchy number very akin to the Brand New Heavies. "Field Trippin'" is a rap number which even though it features rather weak raps, which I usually dislike, it's still well done and fun to listen to. Fans of the Giant Step/Groove Collective scene will like the Nappy G and Chillfreez references. The Repercussions, I have no idea how, have been signed to a major, and their "Promise" single is out (again) now with Masters at Work remixes. Their full length album should be out soon. Smooth stuff, sometimes too smooth, but still nice.
Liner notes: Raw Stylus come from a growin' new vibe-- London Soul, Beats, Bass, phunki break downz 'n' strong 'n' musical contentz. Arrivin' on the scene in 1989 with "Bright Lights Big Cities". Raw Stylus came on a breaks 'n' beats tip, hittin' the U.K. 'n' U.S. on a large underground tip. After an abcense of 2 years the boyz came back with the prolific "Pushin' Against The Flow" bustin' boom boxes from London to LA. Now the RS massive drop another piece of soul flavoured London funk. So lick up a fat blunt 'n' support the new soul massive.
Review: Raw Stylus do their best work on this single. They also did a cover of the song "Use Me" on Acid Jazz records, and released a single "Dirty" a while ago, neither of which were very memorable. But the main song "Many Ways" is much like Promise, very clean and smooth, very catchy vocal number. "Bright Lights Big Cities" is an instrumental, nothing outstanding but still nice and fun to listen to.
Note: Mo' Wax "strip" on wrong side of sleeve. Wrong speed (45 instead of 33) listed on the A side.
Liner notes: PALM SKIN PRODUCTIONS. Working harder to bring you hands-on music: hands on the decks, hands on the mix, hands on the drum. Music made not by style of clothing but SKIN OF PALM. Inside the deep lick, running things, the sound of the PALM SKIN coming easy on the downlow. Working with a clear conscience 'cos PALM SKIN do it LIKE BROTHERS every time. Too often the brother's a chameleon, he leaves you dry with the change of season, so when your'e GETTING OUT OF HELL you need A LITTLE SKIN to put you on the primrose path. PALMSKIN PRODUCTIONS: building a fat blunt for your ears. We Come in Peace. Release.
Review: This 12" was spoiled from me when I heard the DJ Food stuff on Ninjatune, and the whole beat and "so funky" voice bit were taken from one of the DJ Food songs. But all three songs still deliver though, all with nice beats and some great samples. Palm Skin Productions has always represented the best in instrumental jazzy stuff that Mo' Wax has put out, and this is no exception.
Note: 45 RPM listed on A Side is wrong speed.
Liner notes: none
Review: Marden Hill, ever since this 12", have been one of my favorites. Their cover of "Harlem River Drive" is just fantastic. These 4 mixes are all fairly similar, the main reference point being the bassline. This 12" is very representative of all their work, nice beats and bass, really funky. It's not exceptionally jazzy, but it has the right balance. They always like to mention pot in some way, and I guess it's had some influence on their work. Their album "Blown Away" was a disappointment to fans since it contained such little new material, but anyone wanting to check out the Marden Hill vibe should look no further than their LP.
Liner notes: Yes tha first band ever to be involved with MO' 'WAX finally drops jazz, orgininal, deep, blunted, and on a mission thats what R.P.M. deliver, striving for the perfect beat. The ultimate experience wether it be a klub, record, or live R.P.M. are the ultimate product of the leftfield abstract electro jazz movement-- this is is just the beginning.
Review: Every song is always a little bit spoiled when you hear where the samples from (thanks Jesse ;) and you see where it all came from. This one samples Gary Bartz heavily. But this one has always had a special place in my Mo' Wax heart. Even though I normally dislike raps with a British accent, this one I don't mind. The beats are all slow and nice. In it's sparseness and inventiveness you can sort of see how they evolved to where they are now. The record features instrumental and vocal versions of each song.
Note: first 12" to have logos, info, barcode etc. printed on the entire sleeve rather than on just the pasted on paper strip. Also, first 12" to have a *full* sleeve, with no hole in the middle. Finally, first 12" to have the slogan (typo and all) "Purvayors of Quality 'n' Original Phat Sounds".
Liner notes: Hailing from Bristol, renowned for it's musical influences in the British klub scene. The fed's were one of the first bands to be involved in the Mo' Wax thang, droppin' Jazz Phunk fused soul with an important focus to songs. The Fed create that classic British sound... A definate Soulmate within the Mo' Wax stable, it's been a long time sortin' it but it's worth it...Enjoy.
Review: Well this is obviously very representative of the Bristol scene. Very commercial vocal stuff, not as catchy as Raw Stylus and Repercussions were, just kind of nice. It's well done, but for those looking for a little bit more edge should look elsewhere. Some would wait for the remix 10", mentioned later.
Note: 45 RPM listed on A Side is wrong speed.
Liner notes: The sounds of Afro-Brasilian street percussion-- surdo, chocacho plus the Angolan berimbau (used in capoeira)-- ick off Mistura's Mo' Wax debut and tak you on a trip 'Coast to Coast'. Batucada beats, fender excursions, clasttering drums, soaring flute melodies, sensuous trombone and a shocking bass line create a trans-Andean trip-- a shifting Brasilian fusion groove. A jazz-samba hakedown for the Nineties. --John Cooper
Review: This 12" is one of the "forgotten" records that you never remember that it was actually released on Mo' Wax. This is like nothing else on the label. Sort of Brasilian kind of stuff, fast and upbeat. The two mixes are very similar. For those that are into the Brasilian music it's probably weak and diluted. For those heavy into Mo' Wax it may not have enough beats for you. But it stands nicely inbetween the two. I'm not going to write anymore cause the liner notes do it justice.
Note: Slogan "Purvayors..." also appears on front as well as back of sleeve.
Liner notes: none
Review: This is another of the classics, "This Is Just A Dance" being the best. Nice scratching along with the beat. This one *moves* and is pretty jazzy. It's a little more dancefloor oriented than the other Palmskin stuff, this may be why it was released under another name. Again, when you hear where the samples come from it kind of blows it, but it's still good. The A side is much better than the AA side, in fact I don't even remember the AA side that well right now.
Note: from credits, Bubbatunes appears to be Simon Richmond (Palm Skin Productions) under a pseudonym.
Liner notes: 1993. TIME & SPACE running out for people JUST TRYIN' TO LIVE the way they want to. Agents of grey spread their savage servility across the planet. MOONBASE ALPHA has split from earth's orbit on its continuing mission to remix this soundbite culture. Using PALMSKIN liquid vinyl technology the message is sent out on all subspace hailing frequencies. But the universe proves more fixed than that: can you see SPOCK WITH A BEARD? I think not. The physical aspect learns from the other side. Entering the uncharted deep space dub territories PALMSKIN finds that only honest contemplation of the I will bring freedom of spirit. Back on earth, the major-ity work to block the message. Time for the PALMSKIN alliance to strike back. Under the counter culture will prevail in small corners of the universe. Tomorrow's acetate has been cut. We will hear with better ears.
Review: This is considered by a lot of people to be Palmskin's best record, and they could be right. This one concentrates mainly on the jazzy end of things, from the slower jams of "I" and "Moonbase Alpha" to the high speed jazz workouts like "Spock With A Beard". The sax always helps out, and every track is a winner here. The songs have little vocal snippets but mainly it's the beats and the jazz.
Note: The Space (B) side tracks appear on the Time (A) side and vice versa.
Liner notes: For all you DJ's 'n' 12" vinyl heads this sampler gives you a taste of the forthcomin' Jazz Hip Jap longplayer. A compilation of jazz oriented electro... First up comes the amazing Monday Michiru with the musical contributions from my man DJ Krush hittin you hard in the grill with "Hear Between The Silence", a deep deep vocal track fusing hard hip hop beats, classical piano & melodies. A kind of japanese equivalent to the Bristol thing! N.B. watch out for some serious Krush flava on the LP. Jeff Brown & his 33 1/3 kru drops a flutelead 90's jazz phunk groove with phat beats, Hammond organ & guitar solo's... heavy!, especially for all you jazz phunkaz out there. Lastly comes one of my favorite cuts of the LP Magic Wares "Scandinavia", a deep 'n' heavy jazz groove with mad psychadelic violin & guitar shit, total classic innovative electro... so go buy the compilation. PEACE.
Review: Back then this was about the first stuff besides UFO that could be acquired out of Japan and boy was this good. The Michiru/Krush thing works out well, nice vocal number. DJ Krush provides some nice beats and her voice and the piano ride nicely on top. It's a little too commercial for some, but it's nicely done. My favorite is "747 Party In the Sky", with the little airplane chatter in the beginning, and then an overall very pleasing jazzy groove. Sounds like there's a bunch of people having fun in the studio, starting to chant and shout when it gets more intense, it's all great fun. For flute lovers, this one is great. For some reason I wasn't too into the Magic Wares track, the guitar didn't sit too well with me, but I'm probably wrong.
Note: first 12" to have the "Phatgroove" blurb on the back.
Liner notes: Featured on the Jazz Hip Jap long player EL MALO kicks new school japanese fusion, a mixture of leftfield Brazillian, jazz & phunk samples with beatz 'n' weird psychadelic guitar & reverb shit!, "Mighty & Solution" is a slice of jazid on a Brazilian phunk tip, whilst "Dagger to Fool" lets rock a fusion of beatz 'n' phunk b-lines with overlays of flute & rock guitar ... basically you've gotta take a trip through the EL MALO flava to know what it's all about koz even Frank Rizo's gettin' wrek to it!
Review: For those who don't know El Malo this is probably the most "accessible" release they've ever put out, "Starship in Worship" being a lot more crazy and silly, and the new one really into rock territory. All these follow the same kind of format, nice beats with some wacky stuff on top, but it's all done well, and it's pretty hard not to like it.
Liner notes: Recording, Mixing & Remix Engineer by Another artist featured on the Jazz Hip Jap project long player, Takemura is someone many headz out there will know & await this new material, liftin' of with a remix of his classical Ryo Kanasaki "Trinkets & Things" remake, Takemura add's new vocals, percussion, sax 'n' beatz, then it's time to drop the new shit! "Harmonium" again on the same tip is a journey through bossa grooves, vocal scats, heavy b-lines 'n' luscious flute & piano solo's, whilst "The Quest Is The Reward" kicks hard more fresh vibez hittin u with phata' beatz, dope jazz drums, vibes & trumpet solo's & scat vocals, basically a slice of classic japanese electro. So jus tune in with the "Rod Lava" flava!
Review: This record was probably the highlight of the Jazz Hip Jap series, great beats with some really classy jazz on top, all well produced and with a strong vision in mind. You can see where Takemura was heading towards, a more spiritual kind of jazz, but this one still retains the heavy beats that some of the new stuff has lost.
Liner notes: Midnight at PALMSKIN HQ and all is quiet. Freshly brewed grooves bubble gently in deep vats and sweet clouds of herbal harmony fill the air. The pinprick studio lights mix with flickering torches in a warm glow as the refrain curls out of the speakers in a hypnotic snake dance. Chatter and noise flow like a tide through the city, but up in the pastures the music is heard in a silent way. PALMSKIN drawsdeep and surfaces with some fresh budded vinyl guaranteed to blow the clouds away. (In a Silent Way is an improvisation on a theme by Zawinul. The Sunlight on the Garden was inspired by Louis Macneice's poem)
Review: This release kind of caused me to shrug my shoulders. What can I say, each Palmskin 12" is different. This one is a lot slower, with vocals. The vocals I didn't really like so much, but it's a nice slow lazy song with some nice saxaphone. Palmskin Productions really has to be thanked for their variety, always coming out with a winner. This one marks the disappearance of Palmskin for a long time to come. Love the Star Trek designs on the cover...
Note: Silent Side and Five-A-Side's tracks are switched onto each others side just like on the last Palm Skin 12". Mo' Wax finally learns how to spell "purveyors".
Liner notes: This is headphone music. The confines of "jazz", "soul", "hip hop" as categories of music do not apply here. More of a story as a song, the arrangement of turntable techniques and pure, raw beats combine to convey a soundtrack of experimentation. The result is sublte, subliminal and elusive to define. Clear your mind and listen...This is music without boundaries.
Review: This is the one that broke it for Mo' Wax, what most stupid music press people who praise "trip hop" would term the best of the bunch, and they could be right. In Flux is really a classic, with dead slow beats and that bassline...a lot of vocal samples and it gets all uplifting at the end with the pianos and stuff. This is what determined what direction Mo' Wax would go in. The flip side speeds up the beats a little, it's all sparse and atmospheric, with even the Star Wars stormtrooper sample. Like Shadow says, the beat is the most important thing, everything else is just there to ride on top of it. And both of these deliver. This is probably the best DJ Shadow product released to date. Do yourself and him a favor and boycott Shadow Records, a subsidiary of Instinct records focusing on "trip hop". It's a stupid concept and they stole his name without any permission.
Note: Two different versions released-- regular 12" and picture disc. First 12" to replace the "High Fidelity Stereo" logo with the now extinct "Phatgroove" logo. Front slogan reads, "PROGRESSIVE ECLECTRO SERIES PT. 1". Back slogan reads, "THERE ARE MANY IMITATORS BUT ONLY ONE ORIGINATOR".
Liner notes: Just a little offering whilst the 0272 soul kru embark on their debut long player, kickin' pure nu-skool U.k. remix flava via the "Underdog" (Brotherhood, Shara Nelson, House of Pain etc.), "Party Rockin'" Productions (known for their U.S. flavored house kuts, and "Portershead" (Depeche Mode, Gabrielle). A mixture of hip hop, beatz, rock and guitars and 2-step B-Lines, Enjoy!
Review: Most Underdog remixes are pretty similar, the song says pretty much the same and he ads some really big hip hop beats in the background. His remix is pretty good, adds a little spice to a song that needs a little edge to it. The Party Rockin' mix is okay, a little too commercial for my tastes. James Lavelle at this time couldn't stop mentioning Portishead's Depeche Mode Jeep Beats remix, so this is one of the early Portishead remixes, who knew they would get this big. At this time it was basically just the one guy Jeff and no one knew they would ever do anything on their own. Their remix is okay, not really as atmospheric as their newer stuff (both their music and their remixes) is. They add some beats and a little weird sound to the slightly obscured vocal track. It's okay, but they should've really lost the vocals. You can kind of see where they're headed towards, but after this one there's no way you could predict what would happen for them.
Note: This is a 10" record.
Liner notes: The North London flava' reaches Mo' Wax kickin' Phunki shit for the 90's-- male vocals-- great musicians, phat rhythms. This is the debut-- a journey into 70's flavoured vocal jazz phunk, similar to bands such as F.B.I., expect and Eclectic future of Phunk, Jazz, acoustic Soul and hard London Beats!
Review: This record was pretty out of place by the time it came out, as it was becoming evident which way the label was moving towards, although it seems James Lavelle has a place in his heart for this kind of stuff. It's all basically pretty fast jazzy stuff, not too strong on the beats, with some male vocals. It's okay, but this seems kind of out of place on the Mo' Wax roster. All the mixes are pretty similar. Not a bad 12", but it's one of those that you forget after a while. Could've been because after this Mo' Wax went really quiet for a long time, maybe 6 months or so, until the bombs started to drop...
Liner notes: Mo' Wax enters '94 with more hard abstract musical science via france's top beat headz-- "La Funk Mob" (producers of M.C. Solaars and featured on Jimmy Jay's "Les Cool Sessions"). This E.P. kicks pure "Diggin' in the crates" instrumental beatz flavaz, a couple of hard Klub trax, a crazy mad jazz house fusion and a classic slice of head shit ... Anyway just check it! Mo' Wax -94 til infinity.
Review: Mo' Wax returns from its hiatus with a vengeance. You could tell that La Funk Mob was a force to be reckoned with from their work with MC Solaar, but this was again something new for Mo' Wax. A lot of the jazzy crowd thought this was not jazzy enough, but for the beat heads it works. Every song on here is a winner, some maybe a little too long, but they all got the beat and the groove. Some of these songs were going to be remixed for a forthcoming double pack.
Note: new Mo' Wax logo in the colored strip. Also totally redesigned record centers. The "Phatgroove" logo and blurb is crossed out. Note reads: N.B. Due to "PHAT" being played like a sucka, we've had to dis this terminology. "THE EXECUTION OF PHAT"! R.I.P. March '94. Long break came before this record came out which must have triggered the changes. "PURVEYORS..." logo changed to "ABSTRACT MUSICAL SCIENCE" on front and "HEAD MUSIC FOR MAD LIFTED BEAT JUNKIES" on back.
Liner notes: R.P.M. are back! .... Just listen ...
Review: R.P.M. hadn't done anything for a long time and their sound has really changed. "2000" is a lot more "abstract", with some bell like sounds and some hackneyed moon samples (well, hackneyed in the ambient world at least). But after a while it really gets going and they work some tricks with the beats which are just amazing, this is probably one of the ones that can really get me going. The track with Menelik on it isn't as good, but it's pretty much centered around Menelik and his smooth style. "uh uh uh yeah..."
Note: This record comes in three versions, the original standard style sleeve, the same thing but in Palmskin-like green and purple colors, and a full color sleeve with a paper strip around it. Phatgroove logo also crossed out on this release.
Liner notes: After rockin' tha spot with the dope "free Your feelings" jam and hooking up with Guru on 'Jazzmataz', Dee drops some crazy underground flava' with the production help of Mike McEvoy (Boogie Back/Lalomie Washburn) to kick some pure '90's head nodding london Phunk Pressure, check it ... mo' Wax on a fresh smoove tip!
Review: This is probably the last Mo' Wax release of this kind, back to the old style with a nice vocal song. Pretty slow, but Dee C. has a great voice, showcased well on this release. The two mixes aren't that different, but they're both well done and this is an overall solid release, probably the last time you'll see any more conventional jazzy stuff.
Note: slogan on front reads, "CRAZY LONDON PHUNK PRESSURE" slogan on back reads, "HEAD NODDING SMOOVE SHIT!"
Liner notes: Escaping from the deep south comes ATTICA BLUES bringing you the good news. Haunting vocals, afro beats and basslines for the Buck-Wild Seventies child. Truly a sub-sonic insomniac tonic...
Review: This is a weird one. It's real slow and yes, "abstract", but it wasn't my favorite record. Most songs feature a very slow beat with some moody background and sometimes the long drawed out vocal over the top. Well put together, but for some reason it didn't really do that much for me.
Note: "ABSTRACT..." and "HEAD MUSIC..." logos switched from front to back and vice versa.
Liner notes: Heavy with intention and left of the mind, spilling a hybrid of taste that delivers the backhanded bung funk straight into your lap. Beats and bass going forward to spread Nivea over the dries elbow (muttley laff). Listen...and let Joy be unconfined
Review: This one's kinda strange too. Deep Joy is apparently a vocal based group, that just gets messed up by whoever is producing it. "Make Some Sense of This" is an okay vocal jam, kinda slow. The stinkfoot mix makes it better, cuts out a lot of the vocals and throws in a heavy heavy bassline and the whole thing sounds a little bit more trippy. James Lavelle helps out with the production on "Take", another vocal tune, not bad at all, but for some reason it all doesn't fit together quite right.
Note: Mo' Wax Recordings changes to Mo' Wax Recordin's. The record sleeve goes crazy with full color "abstract" design.
Liner notes: Mysterious Ways is one of those special kuts, it marks the return of Reggae trumpeter Dick Cuthell and music mogul Jerry Dammers (once again ahead of the pack). Bringing you an 'on the corner' meets Digi Dub jammi on an abstract hip hop tip. Not trip hop, just ill!
Review: A few people I know really didn't like this one when it came out. It's not bad, not really outstanding either. A nice hip hop beat is thrown in and it goes a little dubby with the help of the trumpet player. All four mixes sound fairly similar, they provide, but it's nothing really all that new. For jazziness with a kick I'd go to Marden Hill.
Review: This one took Mo' Wax definitely into the techno world. Carl Craig's mix stays true to the original while still injecting some techno madness which keeps going on forever at the end. Much better is Richie Hawtin's Electrofunk Remix, which is probably the one of the funkiest songs ever done on machines. Totally cold and machine-like, but under the surface some strong funk pressure. Both of La Funk Mob's mixes are good, heavy on the beats, with a little female influence with the "I'm sexy...etc." samples. The Nightmares On Wax mix marks their return and they do one that also has a nice beat, a little cheesy like carnival music but still good.
Note: This is a double 10" record.
Liner notes: A musical expression of emotion: Hip Hop with a soul, don't try to pre-contstrict-- let yourself go.
Review: Everyone had high hopes for the return of DJ Shadow. It's a nice moody piece with more vocal samples, sampling U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday" for the beat. I just couldn't really get into the beat, but if you can it's a really nice trip, atmospheric and emotional. DJ Krush's is a little more conventional, with some really strange sounds whizzing around you. A good hint of what was in store for the LP.
Note: Artwork on this release by graffitti artist Futura 2000, entitled "Love and Unrest No. 3".
Review: The return of DJ Shadow with *a lot* of hype. It's a kind of journey. Shadow's style is pretty well established now, very moody and a little dark, with some vocal samples establishing whatever he wants to say, and then of course there's the beat. Part II almost is a little cheesy, the guitar parts remind me of Metallica's "Enter Sandman". I think on this one he tries to be very epic, and it might work a lot against him. Every one of these tracks are good, nice hip hop beats and lots of atmosphere. He even uses a lot of "conventional" instruments to accentuate the music, although it's all basically samples. I think everyone expects too much from DJ Shadow, and so sometimes it's not as good as we hoped, but then our sights are set too high. It's a good 12" nonetheless, another Mo' Wax classic.
Note: this is the first Mo' Wax single to be released on CD single, probably due to the deal with Virgin. The artwork on this abandons the standard Mo' Wax "strip" covers. This, although numbered 027, actually was released after 028, 029 and 029R.
Liner notes: "A tribute to Sun-Ra and all things fucked up"
Review: Everyone was looking forward to this one. And this one delivers. The original mix left a little to be desired, it got a little repetitive. But the UNKLE remix starts where the last left off and then *goes off*, a voice goes "Quiet, isn't it?" and then in comes the orchestral bit and a slow, big beat and a tweaked out bassline. This one is really an exercise in weirdness and it works, probably the highlight of the whole EP. The Portishead mix is exactly what you'd expect from Portishead, a very atmospheric and film-like sound, a little spooky and well done. The Howie B. mix is great, starts all slow and then in come some kung fu samples and then a faster beat kicks in. The two Plaid mixes are what you'd expect from the 2/3 of Black Dog. It's got the sweet, yet weird melodies, and still retains a lot of the original. It's maybe too weird for the Mo' Wax groupies but it's ambrosia for the IDM crowd. BTW, check Shadow's "rap" at the beginning. "Trip hop, wreckin' shit in '95! wreckin' shit!" The people who take that seriously are the ones that shouldn't be listening to this in the first place.
Note: this EP released in two formats, a regular black vinyl version and also a double picture disc, featuring the images from the front cover, done by graffitti artist Futura 2000. The picture disc was pretty limited.
Liner notes: Notes from the 16th Sacred Scroll...And when they finally broke into the zoo and set the animals free, the big cats and bears ate half, and the rest were served up on tables around the city.
Review: I was a little let down by this release. It's been a while since we heard anything from Palmskin and it was evident from his contribution to "Headz" that Simon had also dropped the jazzy stuff and gone the head music route. And that's what this is, very little conventional instruments save the samples and the cello. Neither of the remixes are that different from the original. Both of the songs feature a fairly slow shuffling hip hop beat that just kind of goes and goes, with some swirling sounds as well as some spoken word samples. Kinda mood music, and still a little jazzy with the organ breaks. I guess I was expecting more, we'll see next time...
Review: I actually liked this 12" more than the original one. Global Communication/Reload/Link/E621/Chameleon/NY Connection etc. does both of the remixes on the A side, the Chameleon (Part I) being jungle and the Global Communication (Part II) one more laid back stuff with a nice beat. The Part II mix is nice satisfaction for Mo' Wax groupies, atmospheric with a kicking beat, containing the jazziness of the original. The jungle one also maintains the same kind of vibe, but not being a big jungle fan, it was a little repetitive for me. But the other jungle mix, the System mix by DJ Krust & Roni Size, even though it's jungle, really amazes with the compex drum patterns. And then Autechre come in with a real slow plodding mix with an awesome little scratch pattern weaving its way through the song. Each mix has the same kind of strings in the background giving it a nice light and airy feel, while the beats hit you hard from below.
Record One
Side A: 1. Dj Takemura- "The Quest Is A Reward"
2. Jeff Brown & 33 1/3- "747 Party In The Sky"
3. Jungle Oasis Inc.- "Shaft Of Ubik"
4. Men Against Cool- "Anger"
Side B: 1. Dj Krush- "Slow Chase"
2. Monday Michiru- "Hear Between The Silence"
3. Skip Jack- "Bosa Bosa"
4. Majic Ware- "Scandinavia"
Record Two
Side A: 1. Monday Michiru- "Naked With You"
2. Dj Krush/M. Michiru- "Do Dat Dance (Remix)"
3. El Malo- "They Cuss I Fuss"
4. Dj Matsura- "Gas"
Side B: 1. El Malo- "Sling And Solution"
2. Soul Rebel- "Freedom Rebel Drunk"
3. Monkey Drop- "Drop"
4. Dj Takemura- "Dedicate For The Sun"
Review: This album was heaven when it came out, we had to wait too long for it. Granted, there's a little bit of filler, but this was everyone's first major taste of the Japanese style, and it is filling. Taking the best tracks from S-Ken's Jazz Hip Jap series (and believe me, the tracks they cut out were not that good, you're not missing much) and putting it in a nice sleeve with cool-as-heck DJ Krush on the cover, its a nice listening experience. It's got the more jazzy stuff, like DJ Takemura, to the vocal jams of Monday Michiru to the more trippy DJ Krush outing to the wacky fun of El Malo to the all out party on vinyl fun of Jeff Brown's 747 Party in the Sky. There's really no excuse to not have this album, probably the best Mo' Wax has released to date. A lot of these artists have their own stuff out and you should have their stuff as well (except for Jungle Oasis Inc., thanks Ben!).
Note: Also released on double CD.
Side A: 1. Like I Feel
2. Can U Feel It
3. Hold On
4. Realise
5. Rusty James
Side B: 1. A Night In Chew Magna
2. Life So Free (Party Rockin Remix)
3. Keep Pushing
4. Shine
5. If We Had It All
Review: If you know what Federation sounds like you basically know what this LP sounds like. Nice, safe, funky commercial vocal stuff. Some of it is kinda nice when you're in that Brand New Heavies kind of mood, but if you're not, this album probably wouldn't do much for you. The state of Federation right now is a little unclear. Perhaps Mo' Wax doesn't want to release any more Federation product, cause there's a Federation remix single out on Indochina Records now. Why Federation and not RPM?...
Note: Also released on CD.
CD 1: 1. Dj Shadow- "Influx
2. RPM- "Food Of My De-Rhythm"
3. Dj Krush- "Slow Chase"
4. Palm Skin Productions- "In A Silent Way"
5. Dj Takemura- "Harmonium"
6. Palm Skin Productions- "Like Brothers"
7. Federation- "Life So Free"
8. Step- "If"
CD 2: 1. RPM- "Sorti Des Ombres"
2. Bubbatunes- "This Is Just A Dance"
3. Marden Hill- "Come On"
4. La Funk Mob- "La Doctoresse"
5. Monday Michiru- "Hear Between The Silence"
6. Federation- "Rusty James" (Portishead remix)
7. La Funk Mob- "Motor Bass Get Phunked Up"
8. Palm Skin Productions- "Spock With A Beard"
Review: No review here, it's basically the best of Mo' Wax, and if you're a beginner there's no better way to start, it's got a song off of almost every single up to RPM's 2000, usually the best song too. If you don't have all the singles, shame on you. If you don't have the singles, and don't have this album, that's even worse!
Note: Also released on double vinyl.
Side A: 1. Intro 2. Lunation 3. Fucked-Up Pendulum Side B: 1. Kemuri 2. The Loop 3. Silent Ungah (Too Much Pain) Side C: 1. Interlude 2. Dig This Vibe 3. Yeah Side D: 1. To the Infinity 2. The Nightmare of Ungah (Sandro in Effect)
Review: A lot of the Mo' Wax crowd were a little let down by this one, especially those who have heard DJ Krush's magnificent debut album "Krush". But keep in mind that the objective of this album was different, it's purpose wasn't to provide nice jazzy dance music, but rather an exploration in messed up hip hop. DJ Krush comes from a hip hop background, not jazz, so here he goes back to his roots and comes up with a handfull of abstract hip hop tracks. Sometimes they don't stand as well by themselves, but some people in the hip hop community should pick this up and realize this is what they should sound like. If you still need some jazzy samples, look no further than "Dig This Vibe", with, of course...the vibes...it's nice. For Krush's next album, expect some raps this time.
Note: Artowrk by Futura 2000 entitled "Love and Unrest No. 2" Also released on CD.
Side A: 1. Patterson- "Freedom Now (Meditation)" 2. Attica Blues- "Contemplating Jazz" 3. Awunsound- "Symmetrical Jazz- (Flapper Till 5am Mix)" Side B: 1. Nightmares on Wax- "Stars" 2. La Funk Mob- "Ravers Suck Our Sound" 3. M.F. Outa'National- "Miles Out of Time (Astrocentric Mix 'N' Beats)" Side C: 1. R.P.M.- "The Inside" 2. Autechre- "Lowride" 3. Olde Scottish- "Wildstyle- The Krush Handshake" Side D: 1. DJ Shadow- "Lost and Found (S.F.L.)" 2. Skull- "Destroy All Monsters" 3. Deflon Sallahr- ".....Don't Fake It" Side E: 1. R.P.M.- "2000" 2. Palmskin Productions- "Slipper Suite" i) Jermey's Velvet Slippers ii) Moonraker iii) Unspeakable Acts 3. U.N.K.L.E. vs The Major Force Orchestra- "The Time Has Come" Side F: 1. Howie B. Inc.- "Head West- Gunfight at the O.K. Corrall" 2. Tranquility Bass- "They Came In Peace" 3. DJ Shadow- "In Flux (Alternative Interlude '93 Version)
Liner notes: A Collage of 16 Instrumental Excursions from the Hip-Hop Avant Garde. Sountracks of Experimentation.
Review: This is the album that put Mo' Wax over the top and made Mo' Wax a household name in the ambient/IDM communities as well. If you were paying attention, you already had eight of these tracks, so that's a kind of letdown. But as for the new stuff, some of the newcomers are a little bland, but Palmskin delivers, going with a nice jazzy/electronic shuffle into a high speed almost junglistic pace at the end. The new Nightmares on Wax stuff is great, really relaxed dubby stuff, a taster for their forthcoming album "Smoker's Delight". The new RPM and Howie B. is good, as expected. The Olde Scottish track is really fresh sounding, with mostly conventional instruments, like real drums, with DJ Krush's scratching. And it's nice to have the alternate version of In Flux, which mainly cuts out most of the vocal samples and works in a different part during the "interludes". Of course there's Tranquility Bass, which is a little out of place here, but still good, and the amazing Kool and the Gang-sampling "Lowride" by Autechre, snagged off the Incunabula LP. Overall, not 100% gold, but it's still pretty good, and in the future we'll look back and see it as a compilation that defined its time.
Note: Also released on double CD. Artwork done by 3D from Massive Attack.
Review: Tongue In Your Ear is Tosh and Kudo showing off all their eclectic instruments, from oriental bells all the way up to their EMS Synthi AKS (tool of Pete Namlook). It's a nice slow but still funky song that's nice and jazzy, in a weird sort of way. Flip for Season of the Witch, a Donovan cover which is mainly some *big* beats and some vocal samples. Not a bad introduction to Tosh and Kudo (or at least an introduction to those not clued in to the Japanese scene).
Review: Howie B., of Soul II Soul/Pussyfoot/etc. and soon to be Skylab fame, (he even did a Siouxsie and the Banshees Remix) turns in some ambient-ish kind of stuff. Have Mercy wanders all over the place with lots of different kinds of beats, none really that moving, and Fanfare is just that, a slow moving one with some horns blaring at you. It's nice to have but you know deep down that he's capable of better.
Review: A cover of the famous song by I forget who, Dusty Springfield I think. It's not really obvious why it's on Mo' Wax, the vocals aren't incredibly special and the music isn't radical enough to make this sound like anything more than a cover version. Too bad. A lot of people (like Jason Bentley) went wacko for "Desert Song" though, a kinda cool spoken word bit, nice driving music. Both of these songs will be featured on the LP. None of the mixes are that radically different than each other. My favorite version of "For What It's Worth" is still the one they did on the Muppet Show with all the animals in the forest singing, while the hunters come barging in half way through.
Note: It's really unclear which mix is which since on the "For What It's Worth" side of the sleeve it lists four mixes and there is no info on the "Desert Song" side of the sleeve. There are four mixes listed on the front, but there are five mixes total of "For What It's Worth", so I assume the one that isn't mentioned is just an instrumental.
Review: Both of these songs are pretty cool. Both are really spacy, funky songs. I like the UNKLE one because of the backwards beats, gets me every time. The "Major Force EMS Orchestra" really doesn't do much, even though they like to show off their synthi (on the cover). Of course when you have to compete with Pete Namlook for "who does better with an EMS", you pretty much lose ever time. However, this 12" is abstract hip hop at its best, a little repetitive for some, but it's all great. Look out for the remix double pack, it gets even better...
Note: It's really unclear which side is a or b.
1. Sista Sunshine 2. Stay (The Eagle's Eye) 3. Desert Song (Fire From Within) 4. Watcha Gonna Do 5. For What It's Worth 6. Togue In Your Ear 7. Heat In The City 8. Lost In The Amazon And I've Got The Jungle Blues 9. Travellin' Light 10. Fall Of Ignorance
Review: I have one major thought about this album: too much vocals. On some of the songs, like the aforementioned "Desert Song" it's kind of cool and on "Heat In the City", it makes for a real swinging time, but this is a more vocal oriented album, which means the music takes back seat to the vocals and thus the quality on the whole kind of takes a nosedive. Also, they made the mistake of packing 10 songs onto one record and the recording level is so annoyingly low it's probably been a major reason why I haven't played this record that much. The instrumentals are much better, like the first single's "Tongue In Your Ear", and "Lost in the Amazon and I've Got the Jungle Blues", which is dead slow space jazz coolness. But I just wish they wouldn't have had so many vocalists, and I still don't get why they covered "For What It's Worth". For what it's worth, this album was decent but should've been *a lot* better. Hopefully Love TKO does a little better in the future.
Note: This was released on LP and CD. On the LP, the A side is the first 5 songs and the B side is the second set of five songs. The record center lists the A side songs as being on the B side and vice versa.
Side A: 1. Swan Lake Vocal
2. Lyric Fathom Vocal
Side B: 1. Attica Black Vocal
2. 40 oz. Vocal
3. Rhymes For The Deaf, Dumb and Blind Vocal
Side C: 1. Deep In The Jungle Vocal
2. Swan Lake Instrumental
3. Lyric Fathom Instrumental
Side D: 1. Attica Black Instrumental
2. Deep In The Jungle
3. Rhymes For The Deaf, Dumb and
Review: They totally messed up on the album jacket, so a piece of paper is enclosed with the correct song titles. DJ Shadow's association with this album is really limited to just "Swan Lake", which is a great song. Basically, it's a hip hop album, with instrumentals nicely included. Blackalicious' style is a little hard to grasp at first, but the lyrics are undeniably fresh and smart. Check out the above mentioned song, and "40 oz. for Breakfast" for the highlights.
Note: The future of this label is also pretty unclear. DJ Shadow, Soleside's main talent, is of course on the main label, and Blackalicious are rumoured to be signed to another label now, so this could've been a one time shot.