The funniest thing about my connection to this song is my preference for not one, but two of its remixes over the original. However, the Andy Votel version, which is a mildly psychedelic embellishment of the original with a hint of Kraut, is unavailable on YouTube. That doesn't matter for this purpose; this version is a punchier re-envisioning that just so happens to be the best iteration to dance to
I know nothing about relationships. I do know that the funky fresh fellow who calls himself Lyrics Born has been one of my favourite MCs; a gravelly sing-song voice and prolix, complex lyrical capabilities make for the strangest bedfellows, yet an idiosyncratic warmth and charisma sit at the heart of his displays. He has no need of being a technically accomplished singer - one could not initially imagine his raspy tones lending themselves easily to many sonic palettes, the blues aside - and this is still as brilliant an oddball funk-pop song as 1999 was capable of producing in an era where such things possessed prepotent clout on radio and in memories (this being the year of 'Steal My Sunshine' and Midnite Vultures. Hell of a year, make no mistake)
This is also one of the best confections to bear DJ Spinna's name; no small feat for a fluid producer with a protean feeling for hip hop, soul, disco, house and all the moods therein. Hardly a stranger to retro-inflected sounds, he creates a mini-history of around 30 years of black music in over 5 minutes, threading in old soul, a tougher funk aesthetic than that of the source material, euphorically energetic scratching and, for a technical flourish, he even structures the kind of anticipation-building breakdown more commonly associated with club sounds as if it was the most obvious and necessary of things
In essence, he knows where his roots come from. And more deliciously, he always seemed to know exactly how to deploy them. There's no explanation for the deft use of that bell in 'I Changed My Mind' other than this rather plain one: some people are simply born with verve
This is also one of the best confections to bear DJ Spinna's name; no small feat for a fluid producer with a protean feeling for hip hop, soul, disco, house and all the moods therein. Hardly a stranger to retro-inflected sounds, he creates a mini-history of around 30 years of black music in over 5 minutes, threading in old soul, a tougher funk aesthetic than that of the source material, euphorically energetic scratching and, for a technical flourish, he even structures the kind of anticipation-building breakdown more commonly associated with club sounds as if it was the most obvious and necessary of things
In essence, he knows where his roots come from. And more deliciously, he always seemed to know exactly how to deploy them. There's no explanation for the deft use of that bell in 'I Changed My Mind' other than this rather plain one: some people are simply born with verve
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2 comments:
I've always read and heard of Lyrics Born but have never heard his material. This should be a start. Is that Quannum the record label? The same one Blackalicious were signed to?
On the other hand, DJ Spinna, from his days as a member of PolyRhythmAddicts, I've been loving his work. Around 2005, I was even more astounded to learn that he has his musical hands in a lot more than hip hop music. I'll take house, soul Spinna, over anything he's done in the past. Hip hop purists might dismiss Spinna and his work as desultory. But, NO, the man is just doing what he knows and pushing the boundaries at the same time.
This was a good look, Barima.
Thank you, Mxolisi. Quannum is indeed the label; it gained significant traction during its original incarnation as Solesides and all its principal acts - DJ Shadow, Blackalicious and Latyrx (Lateef The Truth Speaker and Lyrics Born's partnership) - were noted for being uniquely talented in the game of hip hop
I began collecting Mo' Wax Records around the time of Shadow's commercial breakthrough, leading me to the Latyrx album on the day of its release. It was thrillingly revelatory and still has a sonorous quality in its words and beats that doesn't stand for any weathering from trends and the passage of time. I hope you come across it post haste
Best as always,
BON
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