This might be the freshest, most underrated hip-hop LP of ALL TIME !!.. could even go as far as to call it "minimal" hip-hop for the Euro-minded Techno savvy headz out there (try "High-Tech Issues", u'll see what I mean). Minimal as it eschews some of the traditional features of hip-hop like diggin for the old dusty wax to pull samples and hooks from, and just opts for the essentials. A kick, a snare, hats, a baseline and some xtra sound or two.. That is all (is it though ?) .. but, could it get any more killer than this ? Obvious case when "The whole is soo much greater than the sum of its parts".... Its a Bang! all the way. 11yrs after its creation, this is hip-hop which still is and most likely will forever remain cuttin-edge. Ok, maybe I could be a bit biased, as I know this artist for a long time, he's now a dear friend etc etc.. but tobe tot. honest, back in the days I was just a part-time employee at the label that put his music out.. I was doing promo mailings, stuffing envelopes, makin runs to the P.O. ,doing inventories etc.. however, living in NYC in the '90s, fully immersed in the music, listening to "real" underground hip-hop on the WKCR Thu. nite Stretch & Bobbito show etc, I was just trying to educate myself in modern, urban, underground music of all kinds... then I am introduced to this quite, discreet brother and I'm checking his music.... O....K... Took sometime to get his raps, (I'm no native English speaker) but his beats got me right-away.. Now, having become pretty much a NewYorker and being able to decipher what he's spitting, I'm like "What ??" get out !! this is ILL, heavy metal hiphop with no guitars, originality u can't fake, DIY like punk.. from a Brooklyn,NY raised true artits. NOT talking bout Williamsburg, BK (BTW: from the early to mid-90s, Wordsound offices and studio were in Williamsburg when all the hipsters living there now had never even heard of Williamsburg)..maybe colonial Williamsburg, VA ? Ah ! Dig it, Feel it, Spread it.

A perennial aural head-banger.

To me this is like a testament of a new-New Romantics movement from the US Midwest with the original Chicago house music sound.

These trax sound like the perfect blending of black US disco, r & b, electro funk and European New Wave music aesthetics, culture, + let's not forget the Italo sound which was crucial part of those young producers tastes and development (Italo and it's various influences in dance music was a staple on Chicago's radio stations like WBMX in those early 80's yrs.).

Unquestionably an essential 'party lp' for sure and one to be considered a classic of the genre for it being from such an important city for the music style it showcases and for being from such early stages of development of what became a worldwide mass music phenomenon.

If you know how funky and futuristic this guy's production was from his "Rapper Dapper Snapper" tk, pick this 12" for a listen and you'll hear how huge of a record this is. Immense drums, lots of space, extremely funky, loose synth lines that start in melody but then get freaked ending almost like videogames sounds or funky guitar licks. He sings and raps like in many prod. in these early years of disco-funk-electro-rap. What strikes me here though and is comparable to his aforementioned hit, is the snare sound and overall heavyness of the prod. Bigger and better than a lot of other early 80s prod.

His "Funtaztik/Win tonight" 12" is also on Salsoul and also a killer one.

Rock this today at your venue and make it sound like it's 1982. that is all it takes, only a few $$

One of the many and great Salsoul 12's !

I bought this 12" not knowing anything about Dr YORK, the producer, singer of this awesome single. It is a superb 12" with two extremely funky, upbeat slabs of alive-sounding party trax that still work great today (might be relative to where this is played as in NYC, if you're into serious dance music, you have no choice but to dig for old jams as the city's and the USA in general, is not up on the new techno, house and electronic sounds from Europe or even here.

So if you feel the need to stay away from the trends and are digging for the originators of the past you'll be hard pressed in finding a record as funky, deep and fun as this.

Other than that, there is the whole story about Dr YORK and how he's been a "cult leader" for the past 2 decades or more of the Nuwaubian sect in Georgia, where he built an autonomous community, known as "Tama-Re, Egypt of the West" with pyramids and obelisks... He has been charged and convicted of child molestation and hit with many other serious charges. Supposedly fathered 100s of children by 50 different women. Dr York, known as Dr "Malachi" York is now serving what is essentially a life-sentence in a Colorado penitentiary.

Another very surreal and bizarre story but one that should make his rcds historical artifacts to say the least !!

Great stuff !