THe problem, for me, with the 2nd album were the beats were so recycled from shit you would have heard 1-2 years before. Especially at a time when many of their peers were trying to come up with new sounds, it felt like X-Clan was a few steps behind and still looping up "Atomic Dog" or some shit.
That said, the album still had joints.
"Cosmic Ark" is badass. Freaking the AWB (again) J Bros. sax and "Funky Sensation" to great effect. Brother J sounds amped on that track.
From talking to J, that was always his outlook. He cares less about "has this beat already been used?" than "do I want to rock this beat?" He told me about how when they did "Grand Verbalizer," the AWB sample had already been used a couple times, but he felt he could freak it in a different way, which I think he did.
Cool.
I always imagined what if X-Clan came w/ a new sound/production.
Imagine some hot new producer at the time had laced them w/ track that were "theirs" as oppossed to "re-cycled" shit.
The fact that they went in the "traditional" direction works for them in terms of the "pro-cultural" approach, but ive always wondered what would the overall outcome would have been if the beats were just as "forward/creative/customized" as the image they were bringing.
U look at The Jungle Brothers - Done By The Forces Of Nature , and they were really tryin to bring that new shit.
THe problem, for me, with the 2nd album were the beats were so recycled from shit you would have heard 1-2 years before. Especially at a time when many of their peers were trying to come up with new sounds, it felt like X-Clan was a few steps behind and still looping up "Atomic Dog" or some shit.
That said, the album still had joints.
"Cosmic Ark" is badass. Freaking the AWB (again) J Bros. sax and "Funky Sensation" to great effect. Brother J sounds amped on that track.
Definitely. The drum programming on that song is great--really clipped, but really funky.
I'll ride for the X-Clan, The Dark Sun Riders and J for all reasons posted above as well of their excellent use of the term "sissy" which needs to be used more often.
I listened to To The East Blackwards a couple of months ago and was almost embarrassed how dated it sounds. And "vainglorious" does not mean what they thought it meant.
I remember when I heard that on the radio before the album came out (first single, no?). It blew my 14-year old mind then and I think it still holds up.
Comments
"Cosmic Ark" is badass.
Freaking the AWB (again) J Bros. sax and "Funky Sensation" to great effect.
Brother J sounds amped on that track.
Cool.
I always imagined what if X-Clan came w/ a new sound/production.
Imagine some hot new producer at the time had laced them w/ track that were "theirs" as oppossed to "re-cycled" shit.
The fact that they went in the "traditional" direction works for them in terms of the "pro-cultural" approach, but ive always wondered what would the overall outcome would have been if the beats were just as "forward/creative/customized" as the image they were bringing.
U look at The Jungle Brothers - Done By The Forces Of Nature , and they were really tryin to bring that new shit.
Then they made J. Beez Wit The Remedy[/b] and look what happened to them, they were on the edge of falling into Divine Styler land.
Definitely. The drum programming on that song is great--really clipped, but really funky.
Great album.
Those interludes are killer especially "Justice"
Could u clarify...im disconnected.
"Raise The Flag" is built around samples from
I remember when I heard that on the radio before the album came out (first single, no?). It blew my 14-year old mind then and I think it still holds up.
same here, and both of Divine Styler's albums
Yes
Divine Styler was supposed to be on The Jungle Bros.-If The Papes Come 12".