Dave Tompkins appreciation
Scratch_n_Sniff
353 Posts
Like Ghostface, I only understand what he is talking about half the time, but I know that all of it is cool as schitt. He never slips. I haven't read an article or review from this guy that didn't have some great lines. With so many rap articles written in the mythic Rolling Stone style, it seems that the eccentric Tompkins style fits better with the energy and weirdness of hip-hop.Are there any articles online by this dude? I basically want to read everything he's ever written. He needs to put out a book in leiu of the book on the vocorder that has gotten pushed back more than Detox. I'd buy two for myself, and additional copies for friends that needed presents.
Comments
You might see if there's anything archived on the WIRE's website--Dave is a longtime contributor.
Also: he co-guest edited and heavily contributed to the current rap-themed issue of Stop Smiling.
http://stopsmilingonline.com/archive_detail.html?id1=788
http://scratchmagazine.com/online/?p=42
http://www.villagevoice.com/music/0347,tompkins,48754,22.html
http://66.70.64.5/music/0301,tompkins,40902,22.html
http://www.woebot.com/movabletype/archives/000462.html
http://www.villagevoice.com/pazzandjop05/ballots.php?cid=3093
http://www.villagevoice.com/specials/pazznjop/04/critic.php?criticid=3093
http://www.villagevoice.com/specials/pazznjop/00/critic.php3?criticid=849
http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~hhsu/blog.html
DT gets two thumbs up from me aswell, top guy.....I think you should be able to find that Paul C article he did somewhere online, I'll have a look for the link later on
Please be serious.
Shapiro should be barred from ever writing about rap.
^^^^that's a little petty, don't you think, Peter Shapiro?
You linked his Pazz & Jop ballots in response to a request for more of his writing?
Ultimate stannery!
THis is awesome! I cant wait for his new book on the history Vocoders. Definitely my favorite music wrtiter right now.
His reviews on Labcabin are priceless as well.
Pharcyde / Masta Ace
Passin' Me By Remix / Saturday Nite 12"
Delicious Vinyl
format: 12"
Credit Delicious Vinyl for having the worst teeth on a logo as well as a clear lake green promo press of the incredible Bizapella version of Master Ace's "Jeep Ass..." That one's not on here but you can look fly as Fixodent talking about it while your girl's out on the dancefloor working it to some crap-up that you'll both forget about in a week. Here you have Delicious' "summer '93 remixes," the year I worked in a record store, passed out doing the cash count and learned that a lot of junior high kids were really into Cannibal Corpse. LA Jay's remix of "Saturday Night Live(1)" uses Ramsey Lewis' "Les Fleur" on some great springtime French shit, until someone thinks you're talking about Ron LeFlore, the legendary Detroit Tigers legendary who robbed a grocery store, did drugs and blasted his fair share of blobby pitchers right off the mound. Back in the song that you should buy, Masta Ace kills it with the mad crew Mad Magazine riff. Big up Don Martin, master of the written sound effect. The Fly As Pie(2) remix of "Passin' Me By" does the babybabybaby Roy Ayers vibes thing (ed's note: these guys were blessed with too many good beats at the same time- couldn't they have spaced it out a bit?). Booty Brown, the Pharcyde secret weapon, kills it with a really shrill singbongy flow that differs from OG version. Also includes the Horny Mix of "Saturday Night" with instrumentals for all three cuts. -Dave Tompkins
theres some crazy shit on that set, but the MC Lord & Major T are
I gotchu...
I just got this, and all his articles are great, and "The Night-Time Master Blaster" is genius, and parts seem like excerpts from the possibly forthcoming book on the vocorder:
"In 1936, Bell Labs invented the Vocorder with the idea of reducing your overseas phone bill. This was a prescient move, considering all the loved ones who would soon be abroad, patriotically etrenched and in need of a homefront voice - even if that voice sounded like an InSinkErator clearing its throat with a wiggly butter-knife smile."
http://pressrewind.wordpress.com/2007/01/17/de-la-soul/