KING RHYTHM What's Left (Quatermass) cd 14.98
Skewed leftfield hip hoptronica from Germany, a cool hybrid of classic hip hop and tech step drum and bass. Think Ed Rush or anyone on No U-Turn stepping in for Timbaland, and turning bouncing, loping booming hip hop big beats, into skittering two step workouts with rumbling, woofer-blowing basslines. Add a couple pretty wicked MC's and you're in business. Cool stuff.
MPEG Stream: "What's Left Breaks The Silence"
MPEG Stream: "Steve's Job"

KIRB AND CHRIS Niggaz And White Girlz (Rapitalism) cd 14.98
Our favorite new hip hop record for sure. The minute we first heard this, we knew we had to get a bunch for the store. We finally did, but then realized we were at a loss for words (who, us?), so we hit up the guy who turned us on to the record in the first place, AQ pal / gay gangsta Matt Wobensmith, who had this to say about Kirb And Chris:
Take your favorite '80s new wave and pop hits, chop them up, lace them with party rhymes and what do you have? "Niggaz and White Girlz," maybe one of the most brilliant hip hop albums in years. Concept album? 80s revival? Party record? Political statement? Shameless excuse to get laid? Oddly, all of the above.
Inspired by the San Francisco club scene -- where Kirb and Chris do most of their "new wave thuggin'" -- reworking '80s megahits comes effortlessly, as they give new life to the Cure's "Close To Me" ("Closer"), the Smiths' "This Night Has Opened My Eyes" ("Doorstep, Girl"), and not one, but TWO Gary Numan joints, "Cars" and "Down in the Park." Round it out with Simple Minds, Talking Heads, the Human League, the Police, the B52's and others, and you've got quite a rich library to sample from. But does it work?
Absolutely.
As crate diggers constantly scrape the bins for new source material, it only makes sense that synth-driven new wave could be the next wave. Highly enjoyable, and we didn't even mention how hilarious this album's between-song skits are.
This album should totally be huge!
MPEG Stream: "Closer"
MPEG Stream: "Down In The Park"
MPEG Stream: "Cars"
MPEG Stream: "When The World Is Running Down"

KNOC-TURN'AL The Way I Am (Elektra) cd 14.98

KNOWN UNSOLDIER, THE (SAGE FRANCIS) Sick of Waging War (Sage Francis) cd 14.98

KO-WRECK TECHNIQUE Ko-Wrecktion (Warp/Chocolate Industries) cd-ep 10.98
Combining the talents of Skam's push button objects and DMC world champion DJ Craze, Ko-Wreck Technique brings funky IDM abstraction and flashy turntable wizardry together. Plaid also does a remix.

KOOL DJ RIZE Who's the MC (Malvado) lp 7.98
An 8-track mini-LP of sorts from this local DJ whose smooth production carries over into the nice hip hop breaks and scratching. Certainly a great scratching record to drop in one's set.

KOOL G RAP & DJ POLO Best Of Cold Chillin' (Landspeed / Cold Chillin') cd 15.98
Totally smoking old school rap, back when that simply meant an MC and a DJ equipped with just turntables and a drum machine, none of that fancy modern bull. Kool G Rap and DJ Polo released two records together ('89 and '92) with producers Marley Marl and Eric B and left an indelible mark on hiphop. Specializing in street stories and raunchy sex tales, their 'Riker's Island' was covered by Noreaga, and their classic 'Streets of New York' will have you bobbing and weaving like you never heard hip hop before.
RealAudio clip: "Streets of New York"

KOOL KEITH Black Elvis/Lost In Space (Columbia/Ruffhouse) cd 15.98
Here at Aquarius we are of the opinion that Kool Keith is at his very best on the classic Dr Octagon record, his scatalogical rapping perfectly complemented by the Automator's booming, kick ass hiphop instrumentation and by QBert's inimitable turntablist skills. Followup albums such as 'Sex Style' and Dr Dooom disappointed way more than they pleased, which we strongly think is due to the presence of Kut Masta Kurt, instead of the Automator, at the mixing board. (Perhaps this is a coastal thing -- we know many folks in NYC disagree with us... but they're all wrong!) That said, we are happy to report that Keith's new persona as the Black Elvis is a much more successful effort. Neither Kurt nor the Automator is represented here much, but whoever partnered with Keith this time knew to keep the beats mixed far below the rhymes. Keith's rapping is crystal clear and as full of headscratching nonsequiters as ever. Recommended! LP is not yet available (end of August).

KOOL KEITH Collabs Tape (Nocturne) 2cd 24.00

KOOL KEITH Matthew (Funky Ass Records) cd 17.98
Yet another new album of messed up rap from this Ultramagnetic MC alum (the man formerly known as Doctor Octagon). Though we were rolling on the floor by the end of the first song, the first time around, the joke has clearly begun to wear thin for Mr Keith (for those who didn't see the tarnished brass on his ass a few records back). I don't know, maybe he just needs a really good producer, or a shitload of coke, or maybe a shitload less coke, but whatever it is, he needs something to keep Senstional from stealing his 'most fucked rapper' crown.

KOOL KEITH Sex Style Instrumentals (Funky Ass) 2lp 15.98

KOOL KEITH Spankmaster (TVT) cd 16.98
Slowly but surely, Kool Keith is losing his charm. After three progressively bad post-Dr. Octagon records (plus the inexplicably horrible Analog Brothers), we're beginning to realize just how stale Keith really is without Dan the Automator. Sure, Dr. Dooom had its moments, and Black Elvis was a somewhat humorous dis record, and yes, Keith definitely has an awesome, unmatchable vocal style; but how can he top the brilliant production and weirdness of Dr. Octagonecologyst? Twenty songs, more sex than Sex style. Buy the Cannibal Ox or the new Sensational record instead.

KOOL KEITH Thee Undatakerz (Activate Ent.) cd 12.98

KOSMIC RENAISSANCE Live At Namba Hatch - Osaka, Japan (e22 / Isotope Records) cd-r 7.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

KREATORS No Contest (Bomb) cd 15.98
Production, mixes, and all scratches by G-squared. New on Bomb Hip Hop!

KRUSH, DJ Code4109 (RedInk/Sony) cd 15.98
Krush, Japan's best known (Stateside) DJ, presents a DJ set featuring cuts by himself, DJ Cam, The 45 King, Old World Disorder w/ Eminem, the Orchestra & Choir of Bulgarian Radio, Jazzanova, and many others...a nearly 70 minute mix of some of his favorite stuff.

KRUSH, DJ Jaku (Sony Japan) cd 16.98
A name you can trust. You can always count on the tracks woven by this Japanese sonic craftsman to be of the highest caliber. Every sound is expertly chiseled and meticulously assembled. With its haunting high melodies from a shakuhachi (or perhaps another flute-type instrument), stuttery tactile breakbeats, deeeeeeeeeeeeeeep bass, and turntable scritchin', Jaku is no exception. Full, rich and enveloping but without extraneous clutter. This is a totally fitting soundtrack for high-end cocktail lounges and haute couture boutiques. With each album, Krush's overall sound has grown increasingly serene and smooth grooving, but on Jaku special guests such as Mr. Lif, Aesop Rock, and Japanese turntablist Tatsuki spice things up a bit.
MPEG Stream: "Still Island"
MPEG Stream: "Decks-athron"

KRUSH, DJ Kakusei (Sony) cd 16.98
Rumor has it that, Krush had misappropriated his sizable recording budget and instead released "some of the grimiest sub-audio committed to tape... with no vocals either." Guesting on the album are Shawn J, Mista Sinsiter (X-Ecutioners), A.S.A., DJ Sak, Jun Sawada, etc...
though it seemed doubtful that any A&R rep for Sony US would dare touch this record, and as such remain an expensive Japanese import, it has finally been released domestically for a much more reasonable price.

KRUSH, DJ Kakusei (Sony Japan) 2lp 31.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Rumor has it that, Krush had misappropriated his sizable recording budget and instead released "some of the grimiest sub-audio committed to tape... with no vocals either." Guesting on the album are Shawn J, Mista Sinsiter (X-Ecutioners), A.S.A., DJ Sak, Jun Sawada, etc...
It's doubtful that any A&R rep for Sony US would dare touch this record, so it is probably only to be an expensive Japanese import.

KRUSH, DJ Meiso (MoWax/ffrr) cd 14.98
Japan's best DJ in his premiere American release.

KRUSH, DJ Zen (Red Ink) cd 17.98
Krush proudly boasts his jetsetting lifestyle in that he produced this album in four different cities (Tokyo, Los Angeles, New York, and Philadelphia - to be read like the bottom of Donna Karan ad). "Zen" is a downtempo hip-hop album designed as a soundtrack for drunk couples humping, with soulful guest vocal appearances from Black Thought, Zap Mama, Tunde Ayanyemi, Company Flow, Kazufumi Kodama, N'Dea Davenport, Boss The MC, Ahmir Thompson, Kukoo Da Baga Bonez, and Sunja Lee. And scratching on one track from DJ Disk. A rediscovery of that lush Mo' Wax blunted trip hop sound.

KUTMASTER KURT Masters of Illusion (Threshold) cd 16.98
Kutmasta Kurt has been responsible for the production work for a bunch of the Kool Keith records, who does appear on "Masters of Illusion" and is sounding more like one of the guys in Cypress Hill. Kurt's production work tends towards setting up his breakbeats and samples along unwavering loop structures. Fortunately DJ Revolution, DJ Rhettmatic, and DJ Babu scratch their way through the production work, which would very boring without it.

KWELI, TALIB Beautiful Struggle (Rawkus) cd 15.98
Talib Kweli, who formally worked with Mos Def in Black Star, releases his latest album to critical acclaim. Featuring Mary J. Blige, Faith Evans and Common, Beautiful Struggle is very cool until about half way through, at "Around My Way". Whoah -- is that a riff from The Police? Umm, yeah. Huh? Couldn't one of his friends have told him that's just not cool, man? Well anyway, "We Got The Beat", featuring Res, leads the album back into goodness. Post-bling acts like Kweli are on the rise right now. "People buy my music not because I'm socially conscious but because it's dope," he says. "There's a lot of people who put out conscious music that doesn't sound good, and it's not interesting. The music has to come first, before the message." This recording and its production are tantamount to how delicious it can sound without shouting about banging and ho's.
MPEG Stream: "Going Hard"
MPEG Stream: "Back Up Offa Me"

KWELI, TALIB Eardrum (Blacksmith) cd 13.98

KWELI, TALIB Quality (Rawkus) cd 15.98
Brooklynite rapper Talib Kweli's name literally means "seeker of truth" -- if his parents were that cool then you can imagine how conscious and smart he must be. After releasing highly regarded albums with Mos Def (Black Star) and Hi Tek, his newest album is a solo affair, although he certainly had plenty of help: Mos Def, DJ Quik, Pharoahe Monch, Black Thought, Cocoa Brovaz, RES, & more. And the record may feature a different producer on almost every track, but said producers prove themselves uniformly great, especially when they lend their smart ears to the choosing of sample material, all of which is unpredictable and not overused. There's driving rock guitar in the first song, emotional viola on several tracks, a killer Chi-lites sample on "Guerrilla Monsoon." Al Green, Black Sheep, Eddie Kendricks. "Get By" -- which might as well be considered a remix of one of Windy's favorite songs of all time, Nina Simone's epic version of "Sinnerman" -- makes excellent use of Simone's handclaps and the way she leaps all over the piano. Listen to that track for sure. Really nicely done and consistent. Recommended.
RealAudio clip: "Get By"
RealAudio clip: "Guerilla Monsoon"

KWELI, TALIB Right About Now (Koch) cd 16.98
No doubt one of the best mc's hip-hop has to offer. His first two albums stand right up their as two of the finest hip-hop records of this decade. While his last release seemed to be a bit of a slip and reached for more commercial success Right About Now finds Kweli back to basics and what he does best. While filler and unfunny skits seem to haunt so many hip hop albums, Kweli keeps keen focus throughout the entire record. With the help of friends like Mos Def and MF Doom he's put together a super solid mix of songs that will remind you of why you fell in love with him in the first place.
MPEG Stream: "Drugs, Basketball & Rap"
MPEG Stream: "Supreme Supreme"

KWELI, TALIB & HI-TEK Reflection Eternal (Rawkus) cd 16.98

KWELI, TALIB & HI-TEK Reflection Eternal (Rawkus) 2lp 16.98

KWELI, TALIB & MADLIB Liberation (Blacksmith Music) cd 17.98

LADY SAW Walk Out (VP) cd 15.98

MPEG Stream: "Hello Lady Saw"
MPEG Stream: "Big Up"
MPEG Stream: "Me And My Crew"

LADY SOVEREIGN Jigsaw (Midget Records) cd 11.98

LADY SOVEREIGN Public Warning (Def Jam) cd 13.98

MPEG Stream: "Love Me Or Hate Me"
MPEG Stream: "Hoodie"
MPEG Stream: "9 To 5"

LADY SOVEREIGN Vertically Challenged (Chocolate Industries) cd 11.98
As we've mentioned before, we just can't get enough Grime. We absolutely dug Dizzee Rascal, Wiley, Virus Syndicate, and even M.I.A. who had a bit of grime going on. But over in the UK, grime is the shit, happening on loads of 12"s, in clubs, and on underground radio stations, but very little of it has made it over here, unfortunately, outside of a few comps. It makes perfect sense that Lady Sovereign would be the one to follow Dizzee and M.I.A. from underground hype to next big thing. EVERY time we play this in the store at least one person buys it, and usually half the people in the store come up to see what we're listening to. It's that catchy and funky and fucked up, and totally unlike anything else you've heard -- okay, other than M.I.A. maybe, but Lady Sovereign sounds so much more raw and gritty and weird, maybe like M.I.A.'s snotty, sexy little sister. The grooves are grime for sure, super stuttery and repetitive, with thick swaths of fuzzy synth and huge rolling basslines, but the arrangements are really damaged and complex, with plenty of start and stops, twisty and tangled, the tonguetwisting vocals careening at breakneck speed all over the place, riding a huge synth line, skipping nimbly over a spastic drum break, like a musical version of a Jackie Chan action sequence. Lady Sovereign is ducking and dodging and spitting madly over funky beats and all manner of samples. But no matter how crazy the tunes are, it's all about Lady Sov's flow. The sticker on the front of the disc describes her as "Eminem if he was an 18 year old female from South London" which makes for good copy but isn't entirely accurate. She's got a really unique voice, sometimes squeaky and feminine, but more often a bit scruffy and growly, and it's amazing how many syllables she can spit per minute, dizzying! And she can easily slip into some strange melodic vocalization for a song's chorus before slipping back into her Cockney growly snotty delivery. And her lyrics are really funny, plenty of shit talking of course, but lots of self deprecating references to her slight stature (5'1", hence the title) and her baggy clothes, and lots of other really silly randomness. Although sometimes the delivery is so rapid fire it's hard to catch anything but a word here and there. Hardly matters though, you'll be too busy bouncing or dancing or whatever you do with these tunes blasting in the background.
Vertically Challenged may be an ep, but it's pretty long, eight tracks, 35 minutes, features a handful of remixes, one from the Beastie Boys' Adrock and one from Ghislain Poirier, and features guest vocal spots from UK grimies Shystie, Frost P., Zuz Rock.
And even though it's an ep it's definitely all killer and no filler, unlike most hip hop records, and it definitely lays the groundwork for Lady Sovereign to blow up M.I.A. big in the not too distant future. And we're definitely psyched for that. The more GRIME the better, and we'd sure as hell rather hear Lady Sovereign on the radio and on MTV than J-Lo or Madonna or Ashlee Simpson!
MPEG Stream: "Random"
MPEG Stream: "Ch Ching (Cheque 1-2 Remix)"

LADY SOVEREIGN Vertically Challenged (Chocolate Industries) 2lp 13.98
FINALLY AVAILABLE ON VINYL!!
As we've mentioned before, we just can't get enough Grime. We absolutely dug Dizzee Rascal, Wiley, Virus Syndicate, and even M.I.A. who had a bit of grime going on. But over in the UK, grime is the shit, happening on loads of 12"s, in clubs, and on underground radio stations, but very little of it has made it over here, unfortunately, outside of a few comps. It makes perfect sense that Lady Sovereign would be the one to follow Dizzee and M.I.A. from underground hype to next big thing. EVERY time we play this in the store at least one person buys it, and usually half the people in the store come up to see what we're listening to. It's that catchy and funky and fucked up, and totally unlike anything else you've heard -- okay, other than M.I.A. maybe, but Lady Sovereign sounds so much more raw and gritty and weird, maybe like M.I.A.'s snotty, sexy little sister. The grooves are grime for sure, super stuttery and repetitive, with thick swaths of fuzzy synth and huge rolling basslines, but the arrangements are really damaged and complex, with plenty of start and stops, twisty and tangled, the tonguetwisting vocals careening at breakneck speed all over the place, riding a huge synth line, skipping nimbly over a spastic drum break, like a musical version of a Jackie Chan action sequence. Lady Sovereign is ducking and dodging and spitting madly over funky beats and all manner of samples. But no matter how crazy the tunes are, it's all about Lady Sov's flow. The sticker on the front of the disc describes her as "Eminem if he was an 18 year old female from South London" which makes for good copy but isn't entirely accurate. She's got a really unique voice, sometimes squeaky and feminine, but more often a bit scruffy and growly, and it's amazing how many syllables she can spit per minute, dizzying! And she can easily slip into some strange melodic vocalization for a song's chorus before slipping back into her Cockney growly snotty delivery. And her lyrics are really funny, plenty of shit talking of course, but lots of self deprecating references to her slight stature (5'1", hence the title) and her baggy clothes, and lots of other really silly randomness. Although sometimes the delivery is so rapid fire it's hard to catch anything but a word here and there. Hardly matters though, you'll be too busy bouncing or dancing or whatever you do with these tunes blasting in the background.
Vertically Challenged may be an ep, but it's pretty long, eight tracks, 35 minutes, features a handful of remixes, one from the Beastie Boys' Adrock and one from Ghislain Poirier, and features guest vocal spots from UK grimies Shystie, Frost P., Zuz Rock.
And even though it's an ep it's definitely all killer and no filler, unlike most hip hop records, and it definitely lays the groundwork for Lady Sovereign to blow up M.I.A. big in the not too distant future. And we're definitely psyched for that. The more GRIME the better, and we'd sure as hell rather hear Lady Sovereign on the radio and on MTV than J-Lo or Madonna or Ashlee Simpson!
MPEG Stream: "Random"
MPEG Stream: "Ch Ching (Cheque 1-2 Remix)"

LAPSE / CHRIS LEO / OCTALAPSE Insound Tour Support No. 7 (Insound) cd 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Three projects fronted by Chris Leo on one limited cd. His solo work features sonic guitars, bizarre samples, and loops. As The Lapse, Chris joins former Blonde Redhead member Toko, and closes this four track cd by hooking up with hip hop beatmeister Dalek as Octalapse.

LAST POETS, THE The Last Poets/This Is Madness (Light In The Attic) 2cd 19.98
A double-cd release of The Last Poets' first two albums! Their 1970 self-titled debut broke out and made its own scene, forging a way for hip hop with politically charged, African-American enlightenments in syncopated rhythm. Fans of Sun Ra will notice similarities in vocal stylings, emotion and lyrical content, though in The Last Poets this treatment is much more fierce and raw than mystical and cool. 1971's This Is Madness got them a spot on President Nixon's Counter-Intelligence Programming lists. These street poets' use of graphic language (including the 'N' word used, oh, about five million times) pounds out their frustrations in the racial and social state of the country and at the time helped to extend their messages to a broader audience by way of its pure and utter rawness. Nicely packaged in the albums' original artwork, these albums are fierce documents of the group's seminal contribution to that time and still stir up some of the same emotions today.
MPEG Stream: "Wake Up, Niggers"
MPEG Stream: "New York, New York"

LATYRX The Album (Quannum Projects) cd 14.98
This amazing album was originally issued in 1997 but it sounds so incredibly fresh even today -- I readily admit that I didn't recognize its true brilliance until now. Most of the members of the now-famous Solesides crew pitched in on this self-titled debut statement from Latyrx (MCs Lateef and Lyrics Born), including DJ Shadow who produces four stunning tracks, Chief Xcel, and Blackalicious. The two MCs often let their rhymes flow forth right on top of each other, a cool textural effect is produced, as if the production efforts weren't interesting sounding enough -- overall you're hearing Mo'Wax-style groove, smart samples, and advanced apocalyptic scariness that today's El-P and Cannibal Ox have perfected. Recommended!
RealAudio clip: "Latyrx"
RealAudio clip: "Burnt Pride"

LIL JON & THE EAST SIDE BOYZ Crunk Juice (TVT) cd 17.98

LIL JON & THE EAST SIDE BOYZ Crunk Juice (TVT) 3cd 22.00

LIL MAMA VYP Voice Of the Young People (Zomba) cd 17.98
Last year just about all of us who heard the song "Lip Gloss" were immediately smitten with what had to be one of the most fun and catchy bubble-gum-hip-hop songs ever recorded. It snapped and popped like a young Missy Elliott on the greatest high school cheerleading squad EVER. If you haven't heard it you must check it out! So undeniably catchy and irresistible! So we were almost afraid to check out this full length when it finally came out as we didn't want to find out that Lil Mama would turn out to be just another in a long line of one-hit wonders. Of course the record's first song is "Lip Gloss" and it's followed by the cleverly titled "One Hit Wonder" which is a total slammer in its own right and the next several songs prove that Lil Mama has actually got plenty of hits up in her sleeve. She really has lots of the potential to become a new Missy Elliott for the next generation. She can sound so self assured, confident and full of vibrant color. There are a handful of really great and catchy songs on here for sure. It does lose steam towards the end with some misses and a should-have-never-been bonus track featuring Avril Lavigne. But we were happy to find out that Lil Mama is not just a one-hit wonder and we'll definitely be keeping our ears open for what she does in the future.
MPEG Stream: "Lip Gloss"
MPEG Stream: "What it Is (Strike a Pose) [Feat. T-Pain]"
MPEG Stream: "One Hit Wonder"

LIL WAYNE Lights Out (Cash Money / Universal) cd 16.98
Cash Money releases another winner and No Limit falls farther and farther behind. Cash Money, originally an embrassing No Limit knockoff, has been spitting out hit after hit, and this one's no exception. Lil Wayne's new one 'Lights Out', is his third (fourth? Who knows? It's as hard to keep track of CM as it used to be with No Limit) and catchy as fuck, with slamming beats, amazing production and crazy flow. 'Get Off the Corner' is the best Cash Money single since 'Bling Bling'. Maybe if Master P would spend as much time working on records as he does on the stock market, and his line of clothing, and his sports management, No Limit would start to matter again.

LIL WAYNE Rebirth (Universal / Motown) cd 15.98

LIL' KIM The Naked Truth (Atlantic) cd 17.98

LIL' KIM The Notorious K.I.M. (Queen Bee) cd 16.98
Still nasty. And pretty good. Sisqo, Cee-Lo, Redman, Lil' Cease, Puff Daddy, Mary J. Blige and a host of others guest.

LIL' WAYNE Tha Carter III (Cash Money) cd 15.98

LIVE HUMAN Elefish Jellyphant (Matador) cd 13.98
San Francisco's fantastic live improv hiphop/jazz/turntablism trio, featuring the skills of DJ Quest of the Space Travellers/Bullet Proof Scratch Hamsters, as well drum kit and double bass. Everybody loved their FatCat/Hip Hop Slam record "Monostereosis", and this is more of the same. Kinda like a more advanced version of the instrumental tracks on the last few Beastie Boys records, actually. Good stuff.

LIVE HUMAN Elefish Jellyphant (Matador) 2lp 16.98
San Francisco's fantastic live improv hiphop/jazz/turntablism trio, featuring the skills of DJ Quest of the Space Travellers/Bullet Proof Scratch Hamsters, as well drum kit and double bass. Everybody loved their FatCat/Hip Hop Slam record "Monostereosis", and this is more of the same. Kinda like a more advanced version of the instrumental tracks on the last few Beastie Boys records, actually. Good stuff.

LIVE HUMAN Elefish Jellyphant (Matador) 2lp 16.98
San Francisco's fantastic live improv hiphop/jazz/turntablism trio, featuring the skills of DJ Quest of the Space Travellers/Bullet Proof Scratch Hamsters, as well drum kit and double bass. Everybody loved their FatCat/Hip Hop Slam record "Monostereosis", and this is more of the same. Kinda like a more advanced version of the instrumental tracks on the last few Beastie Boys records, actually. Good stuff.

LIVE HUMAN Live (C.O.D.) cd 11.98
Live Human's previous albums never really did it for me, so this great album is a revelation. Here the groundbreaking trio of standup bass, drums, and turntables is *live*, recorded right here in their hometown of San Francisco at the Great American Music Hall in July 2001 (this after playing a sold out show at the Montreux Jazz Festival!) While they have been called "punk jazz" by some XLR8R reviewer on the back of this cd, you should know that there is nothing punk about the trio's sound -- although their deft improvisations have certainly been informed by the jazz tradition.
Live Human mixes warmly organic bass lines that are funky but not overly so, with percussion that is as breakbeat "funky drummer" style as it is carefully shuffling, staccato and delicate. The third equal element is hiphop DJ Quest's visionary turntablist style. While he does his fair share of athletic, textural scratching here (he even plays with the tense sound of a skipping cd, of all things), it isn't overdone, nor boring, nor predictable. He brings in just enough outside elements like women's voices, snippets of old hip hop classics, James Brown's "heuh!", etc., to prevent the "jazz" from imploding self-indulgently into itself, yet not so much that it becomes a sample-heavy smorgasbord. It is incredible how perfect Quest's instincts are for what is too much and/or not enough. I have to say that the turntablist skills demonstrated here are so seamlessly integrated with the bass and the drums that I can't help but think this is one of THE FINEST examples of turntablism I have ever heard -- he knows that the way to us listeners' hearts is not to showboat his virtuosic skills, but instead to bow to the demands of the music itself.
This is an awesome record that is completely worth your money. As if that wasn't enough, it is purposely being sold directly from the label to retailers for the express purpose of keeping the price down and, according to the liner notes, "cutting out many of the redundant music-industry middle-men that traditionally add nothing to the art but are happy to pocket more than their fair share of the profit (biiiiaaaatch!)."
RealAudio clip: "Fr-Fre-Fre-Fresshhhhhhh!"
RealAudio clip: "Breakbeat"
RealAudio clip: "Human til Inifinity"

LIVE HUMAN Monostereosis: The New Victrola Method (Hip Hop Slam) cd 14.98
These popular local artists' album was previously only available as an import, now finally it's available as a domestic release! What we had to say about the import still applies: San Franciscans Kushin, Mathias, and Quest (DJ that is) come up with a kick ass 'new jazz'/turntablism/hip hop hybrid for their debut album. A couple of the tracks from their previous singles on Fat Cat pop up on the album which is loaded with wykked scratching, sikk beats, and phhat bass. Excellent!