Various - Frying The Fat

A great compilation that changed the direction of both my life and my musical influences forever. When I heard Frying The Fat it was the first time I'd ever heard such cool Hip Hop. Up until this came out I was purely into Drum and Bass, but felt I was beginning to grow out of that sound and was searching for something new. Something underground, raw, but a little more mature; at the time this album fitted the bill perfectly.
This compilation was my introduction to the Phenomenal Grand Central camp, and their amazing roster of artists. Ironically I picked it up because there was a track on there which had a slight Drum and Bass or break beat feel to it, and which I thought I could use in my sets (at the time I was all ready trying desperately to freshen them up with drum and bass that was a little different)... But I digress. Great as that track was, it was the others on the album that on a proper listen back home, captured my imagination. A mix of cool, laid back, Hip Hop beats, scratched vocal samples, and jazz and funk loops. This was the new sound I'd been looking for. Ten years on and this record is still always tucked away in my record box when I travel away for gigs. Certain tracks on here still sound fresh and better than a lot of today's offerings of the same ilk.
Stand out tracks are as you'd expect looking at the listing - Fat slug by Mr. Scruff, Concentrate by the genius that is Aim, as well as Funky Fresh Few's and Rae and Christian's contributions.
This is classic Grand Central and for me it's them at their best. It's a great collection of tracks that encapsulates the sound and style the label later became legendary for and is a good introduction to some or the better artists and producers on the imprint.