The Bees – Chicken Payback (Madlib’s Soul Distortion Vocal Mix)
Sound Directions – The Horse
10″ – ?? – 2005
from album The Funky Side of Life – Stones Throw – 2005
Madlib drives me nuts. First off, he’s crazy prolific and I’m afflicted by the disease of completism. Second, a great deal of his releases come off as half-finished and not fully realized, which is probably partly due to his restless and widespread spirit but also explains the vast quanitity of stuff he is able to release. Just when I think I’ve excised the desire to track down all of his releases based on disappointments he unleashes something different from his other work and breathtakingly good like these two tracks.
“The Horse” was the lead single from Madlib’s most recent (I think…who can keep track) alias as a band. Big punchy drums and a horn group give a sound that is new for the loop-digga who has previously touched on just about everything else. The big funk sound has a great classic sound, and it is a little unclear what’s Madlib’s sampling work and what is the efforts of the live musicians who sat in on this record. The rest of the Funky Side Of Life album is spread between soul and funk over a wide range of styles for such a short work, and doesn’t quite ever meet the high point of “The Horse.”
“Chicken Payback” presents even bigger drums in an absolute scorcher of a remix from the Mad one. The Bees are a punk-funk outfit from Liverpool. The vocals here are really just another percussive instrument as the lyrics are non-sensical, Old McDonald style countdown, so the song-writing skill of leaders/founds Aaron & Paul remains unknown but they’ve got the funk groove clearly defined. So just when I thought I was out Otis pulls me back in, and I’m certainly going to be picking up all of the animal titled heavy funk singles Madlib releases in the future.
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A correction on The Bees: UK doesn't always = Liverpool. They are from the Isle of Wight – the tiny little diamond just off the southern coast of the UK. Used to holiday there with my parents many years ago and a gloriously sleepy place still, I understand! Other claims to fame that I know of: Isle Of Wight festival c1970? , and Mark King -jumbo thumbs from Level 42.
love both tracks. btw, typo in the Sound Directions link; should be: http://www.earfuzz.com/audio/madlib/sounddirection-thehorse.MP3
Love the drums on that chickenpayback remix, and on the other one, top stuff, many thanks
heh, yeah that link needs sortin cheers bjr
That Chicken Payback song is pure class. Welcome to the board Independent J.
apologies to all…sound directions link is fixed.
I like me some madlib, but I don't know that I love the way some other internets kids do. I wasn't really that into "Madvillainy" for instance–I felt like upon initial exposure, it was different and cool, but for some reason I got bored with it. And I LOVE Doom.
The only Internet hype other than Madlib/MF DOOM that amazes me is that Dipset/ Swisha House explosion in the summer.
Kid blog'd bananas over those people.
I think that the Dips are funny but simultaneously stupid, and I can't stand when people write about them with a certain condescending faux sincerity. No one can really examine a Juelz record and think that the guy is a good MC.
I don't get the Houston movement at all. Some of the tracks are easy to listen to, but it really isn't exciting music.
it is what serg at so many shrimp calls, "white rap anthem rock"
djs like The Rub, Them Finest, and Caps and Jones blew that shit outta control.
just fallen onto this site, very good stuff! straight into the bookmarks methinks. madlib is the shit, have you heard the remixes 1 and 2that he done last year, they're all good