re: RE: Blowout Comb

brandon p ballos (brandon@dax.cc.uakron.edu)
Tue, 5 Dec 1995 22:38:09 -0500 (EST)


Okay, here's my buck fifty on the digables thing. I totally agree with
Jon on the production point. There's some real feeling and texture in
that album. In most cases the beats etc. that were sampled were of less
than hi-fi quality, but it added to the overall vibe of the album. I
think it's still light years ahead of every other rap album i've heard.
case in point would be the beat on "black ego"; a breakbeat lifted
gracefully from a meters song called "here comes the meter man". If you
consider the year of the original (1969) damn right its murky, but its raw
and real (listen to that snare drum shell ringin out.) on top of that the
digables slyly slip in a few extrta beat pieces thrown in around the
original pattern that take it in a new direction.

NO CARRIER
(don't cha hate it when you get cut off mid thought?)
any artist could go into "bob's big discount studio" and crank out a
nice sterile sounding album ala kenny g. easier than a person can put out
something that sounds warm and alive and organic. what us the point in
cranking the levels of a mix to their absolute hottest? Is it written
somewhere that there's a certain way an album should sound just because
the technology exists to make it sound that way?
Its not just a retro thing either. its a true musical progression in my
opinion.

oh and coincidentally my vote for "easy like sunday morning tune of 95"
goes to the digables "for corners" as well.

just a thought

Brandon B.--one of the last funky people left in ohio
brandon@uakron.edu


On Tue, 5 Dec 1995, Jon Jung wrote:

> I kind of disagree with you guys on the production. Some of it is kind of
> sketchy as far as the levels go, but I really like the "murkiness" of it. To
> me, there's a nice warm, low end feel to it. I think this reflects the
> Digables mood and style in this album, laid back almost stony sounding (y'know
> hat I mean, right?). Plus, I think this is meant to be cruising jeep music.
> God knows at times it reminds me of all the people who cruise Waikiki on Friday
> nights here in Hawaii (though this album is light years better than any lame
> ass "Bass" album). I think all of the effect of the album would have been lost
> if it had a crisp production sound (which I think is an annoying trend in the
> industry).
>
> --Jon