Another hot one from this 'buy-on-site' band. El Michels Affair are one of the more spot-on soul/funk/groove bands to come along in the past few decades. Seriously, it isn't common to find a post-1970's recording that sounds this authentic and warm in this particular genre. These guys always bring it, both musically and engineering-wise (I'm not saying Rudy Van Gelder or anything, YET, but really, these guys know what they are doing behind the boards and mics). This EP rivals their recent Wu-Tang tribute full length release, which is really saying something. They truly capture Isaac Hayes' flavorful laid back sound. My only regret is that it's only an EP. I'm sure all Isaac Hayes fans out there will be saying the same thing: "damn! I wish they did a version of "Fill in the Blank." But, it's all good. I'm just glad these guys are recording and pressing wax. Sure-fire collectables. And the best part is that their original material is equally awesome: "Sounding Out The City" is still a phenomenal release that leaves you wanting more. Looking forward to more!

This is an absolutely essential release for any fan of electronic dance music. This one has it all: a timeless blend of breakbeat, uplifting trance, and a ridiculously hypnotic Dead Can Dance sample. I honestly never get tired of listening to this track. In fact, whenever I revisit this record, I have to listen to it at least 3 times in a row because one pass is never enough. The Future Sound Of London obviously went on to make a huge amount of excellent music, but, in my opinion this is definitely one of their most special moments in music history. The only other artists that I am personally aware of that rival Papua New Guinea's use of 'world' style sampling in a non-cheesey manner would be Loop Guru (who I am also a big fan of). However, the FSOL treatment stands apart from Loop Guru in it's nod to the breakbeat/rave sound of the early 90's. All in all, this record cannot be recommended enough; both to the old school heads who haven't heard it in a long time as well as to all the new EDM fans who haven't been exposed to it as of yet. And after this one, it's all about the first Amorphous Androgynous LP (FSOL are so awesome)!

Wow, it's been approximately 10 years since this release dropped, and I'm sort of realizing that something I fully thought would become the future of drum and bass seems to go down in history as more of a forgotten gem. Granted, I may very well be out of touch with current drum and bass, but, I seriously have never heard anything else in the genre even close to this this 12" since 1998. This is such an amazing release ! And it still blows my mind to this day how awesome it is. Talk about marrying electro with liquid sub-basssss funk, Holy shit, the dnb mix of this 12" also ties in that unique dnb stutter-step type of rhythm; it's literally brilliant. I'm a huge fan of Hidden Agenda, and they obviously went on to make some other rad material with the Dispatch label, but, in all honestly, nothing comes close to Channel in my opinion, it's that fresh. I really really really hope someone re-discovers this gem and realizes that this is where drum and bass could have gone (or at least maintained a healthy sub-genre consisting of likened material). I don't mean to sound like a bitter old man, but, seriously... peep this shit and tell me what the fuck.

Oh yeah, and the electro version of Channel kicks a lot of ass! If you are a fan of the genre, do not sleep on this single, you will absolutely love the BSide mix.

Easily one of my top 5 hip hop albums of all time. There really isn't one beat, rap, or concept that I find weak on this LP. Dres is one of the smoothest MC's since Slick Rick. Very sly, intelligent, and witty. His cadence and flow still stand up today as top notch; definitely some of my favorite and most memorable raps.

Lawnge's beats are extremely underrated... he chops and layers almost as well as Premiere, and his tracks generally have more scene changes and movements than any vocal hip hop I've heard before or since. Very original sample usage. 'Similak Child' is a good example... most producers would have ran the Jefferson Airplane guitar loop throughout the track as the base. Lawnge instead combines it with a few other pieces and actually drops it out all-together for the majority of the verses; using it instead as a layer, scene change, and breakdown. Essentially, Black Sheep combined about 3 different loops that could have been 3 different songs into one song... making for a much more full and layered listening experience... it actually goes places instead of being a static loop to rhyme over (as is the case with the majority of sample-based hip hop).

Last, but not least, Black Sheep also win tons of points for their sense of humor. 'U Mean I'm Not' absolutely killed me when I first heard it back in the day. I knew of Black Sheep because of their single 'The Choice Is Yours'... so, I bought the cassette looking for more of the same.... when that track opened up, I had no idea what was going on. Hahaha... one of the funniest hip hop moments on record. Their sarcasm and sly humor is present throughout, providing a well-balanced mix with some more serious subject matter, story-driven tracks, and some of the slickest raps out there.

All-around incredible Hip Hop record... highly recommended for anyone who doesn't already own it.

I am in absolute shock from this album. This is literally the best "modern" (post-70's) LP I have heard in the funk/soul/instrumental genre ever. The sound is so damn 70's/analog authentic, you would be hard-pressed to sort it out from any top-shelf release from back in the day. I am seriously impressed, I had almost taken it as a matter of fact that modern funk would just never sound as it used to. This had always been somewhat of a fairly big deterrent for me in listening to modern releases. The Budos Band II LP has definitely altered my view on this subject; I'm nwo completely re-invigorated and excited about the future of funk/groove music...I wonder what else I've been sleeping on. Much respect to the band and the engineers for dialing this in, they absolutely know their stuff and have produced an incredible record. Essential wax...Trust !

Definitely one of the best Vocoder-driven singles to drop in a long time. Solvent rocks. Any fan of robot voices should own this one. Fits nicely with 1980's electro as well as with more modern electronic-a-whatever-you-wanna-call-it nowadays. The Solvent vs. Lowfish mix is choice in my opinion, though, the other offerings are interesting. And come on, the Acapella is a lovely inclusion. I don't really have much more to say, but, the site won't let me publish my babbling until it is at least 75 words long, so, I'm just going to go on and on and on and on and... ok, that should do it.

I'd have to say that this is definitely one of the most essential downtempo/trip hop releases of the 90's. Hed Phone Sex is an awesomely strange mix of warmth, melody, humor and melancholy. Though this is probably his most accessible release in my opinion, it still has that bizarre uniqueness that sets Funki Porcini apart from the rest of the field. This album seriously put a much-appreciated gentle smile on my brain back in 1995 that has fortunately never left.

'darkage' is an anthem for sure... a quality slice of history right here