Deep Concentration 3
Various Artists
Om
After two highly successful albums and follow up tours, the Deep Concentration compilation returns with an all-star line-up of turntablists, junglists, and left-coast hip-hoppers. This record, like ones previous to it (and plenty of others coming out all the time), is mainly based on blending the “turntable” sound into a spectrum of electronic music. All of the tracks here are infested with scratches, samples, jungles, and cut-up beats, ranging in style from hip-hop, to downtempo, to jungle, and even some electro.
The disc starts out with long-time contributors Ming+FS, bringing their trademarked “Junkyard” sound with “The Human Condition,” which moves beautifully in 6 minutes through downtempo, turntablism, jungle, and electro. Radar’s “Antimatter” is a chunky turntablist song based around a tonal scratch, which is torn up from start to finish – very impressive. The Plagaiwrist’s “Wristy Business” starts out with a dubby ragga mash-up, but changes up twice more into more serious turntablism, complete with some sick beat juggling, while Infamous’ “Torture” starts out on a darker downtempo/hip-hop tip, and breaks into a chopped up amen break, and some hardcore junglism. The Space Traveler’s “Buggin Out” is an electro/turntablism track with a rapping robot, who begins the song with a lovely quote – “Fuck the Ravers/This is For The Real Motherfuckers.” The three pure hip-hop tracks on this album, Planet Asia’s “Fresno State of Mind,” Blak Forest’s “Lovin Every Minute of It” and The People Under The Stair’s “Afternoon Connection” are good, quality, stand-alone tracks, yet they don’t fit in with the flow and the direction of this album.
Unlike previous electronic/turntable compilations from Om (see Tektonics), all the artists here know what they are doing from all angles, and although the results are not always earth shattering (see DJ Craze’s track), they’re always fresh. Another solid release in this on-going series.
OM Records, 245 S. Van Ness, San Francisco, CA 94103; http://www.om-records.com
