I don't know an awful lot about this track beyond that it samples Van Morrison and came out on a mysterious white label back in 2002. Judging by the amount of mixes that it has appeared on and the reactions that it gets in the clubs that it has been well and truly well received by the bearded guardians of balearica. If anyone knows anything else about this record then don't hesitate to let me know.
To coincide with the launch of the brand new Stones Throw online store Egon, PBW and the rest of the set have put together what is in an incredible Madvillain package that will only be available through the website. I thought it would be best to use their copy as it says it best. Oh yeah, and get your hands on those Parra t-shirts as with the way how that man's career is going at the moment they could be worth something in a few years. I've also chosen Pearls off the album for all of you to listen as it is by far and away my favourite cut off the album. Enjoy.
Madvillainy 2: The Box
Some might say its sacrilege to revisit a classic album like Madvillainy. You know, like George Lucas messing around with Star Wars and digitally inserting Jabba The Hut rapping with Han Solo. But Madlib’s never been one to respect convention - and he made this one for headphone listening while on a ten-hour plane ride to Tokyo. But this reworking (we hate to say remix) was so good that, after we sat with it for a while, we decided that we had to make it available.
Yeah, we’re waiting for the new Madvillain too. Every once in a while we hear from DOOM, and he tells us he’s getting closer. Madlib still sends him beat CDs. DOOM always remembers our birthdays. But, we don’t have the sequel, and we know every nuance of Madvillainy. So we’ve been bumping this album while we’re patiently waiting. And it’s been good. Like visiting with a friend who you haven’t seen in years and remembering why you were friends to begin with.
So now you get a chance to get in on it too.
This album will only be available through our website - we just launched our own store. You know, cut out the middleman, fuck the establishment.... That type of vibe. So here we are, saying: “We’ve got something special. And we’re going to sell it to you in a big ass box full of cool ass shit that you won’t be able to get anywhere else.”
We’re manufacturing based on pre-orders. If you order it, you’re guaranteed to get one. If you decide to wait, well, you might not. These things are difficult and expensive to make. That’s why we’re selling them for a lot of money. And you’ve noticed the ship date right? They’re going to take a while to manufacture. So you’ll have to wait a little while. We’ll do everything we can to beat that ship date, but that’s a guaranteed date. If we don’t ship on September 15th, Peanut Butter Wolf will DJ at your house for you. Any day except Tuesday.
Madvillainy “2” The Box $125 plus shipping Pre-order: until August 15th Ship date: September 15th
THE BOX: 12x13x3 inches. Wrapped in silver like a mask.
7-INCH: “One Beer (Drunk Version)” Madlib's original 2004 version, lost until recently on the floor of his Bomb Shelter studio. If you saw the studio you'd understand.
CASSETTE: The Madvillainy Demo Tape. 12 tracks, 36 minutes. This is the first and only official release of the infamous Madvillain demo that “leaked into cyberspace,” while the album was still in progress, as DOOM alludes to in the lyrics of “Rhinestone Cowboy.”
COMIC BOOK: Meanwhile... the continuation of the All Caps video, included with the CD.
T-SHIRT: Nominated. Best Rolled L's. Madvillain shirt.
Quetzal is one of my favourite records, made by keyboard master Gerald Mitchell and DJ Rolando this uplifting but never cheesey techno epic has been always at the front of the box since it came out in 2002. It is one of those records that is fairly simple but the arrangement and melody make this stand above the rest of the run-of-the-mill techno plodders out there. This record is proof along with tracks like Jaguar that when it comes to techno then you should really be looking towards Detroit for the tunes that don't date after two weeks. I'll be playing this one in ten years.
This track samples I Feel Your Love Comin' On by CHIC who are of course the incredible production partnership of Bernard Edwards and Nile Rogers and what 22 year old Norwegian Morten Sorenson has done is taken it kicking and screaming into the 21st century with a big room spacey sound that makes for a record that Paul and I would've been caning on the radio and in the venues if I was still playing Left Deck over in Manchester. It's big, it's loud and a sure-fire dancefloor destroyer. Play it and watch the place go off.
New York's Martin Denny is the king of Exotica whose sound takes in everything from smooth jazz to polynesian indigenous instrumentation to all sorts of other influences garnered from his trips everywhere from Hawaii to Burma. This track, which is a cover of Les Baxter's cut of the same name, is reputedly who Matt Edwards and Joel Martin named themselves after when they came up with their Quiet Village moniker. What I like about this record, and the album itself for that matter, is that it sounds like absolutely nothing else in my collection and I mean that in a good way. It's a record that instantly plants your feet firmly on sandy beaches with the waves lapping at the shore, cocktail in one hand surrounded by dancing women on some forgotten island. Basically what I'm trying to say is that this record is filled with sunshine and it feeds my overactive imagination, which is a awesome all round really. Another great thing about this record is that it is a cheapie, don't pay more than $7 for a copy. Unfortunately Martin passed away in late-2005 having spent the majority of his life living in Hawaii, which is the perfect place to listen to his music. Who is up for testing the theory?
I Love You More is a stone-cold classic and one that still gets people rushing up to the booth to ask what it is. Ian Pooley sampled it on the massive 900 Degrees that was the weapon of choice for many a deep house DJ in he 90s and more recently Low Motion Disco basically stole it hook, line and sinker on Love, Love, Love which is as blatant a rip-off as anything you're ever likely to hear but like all great records you can have imitators but inevitably it is the original that will be getting the most plays. In a year nobody will give a shit about the Low Motion Disco version but when those opening bars of the original come in there'll be hands in the air and smiles aplenty. A superb record that never fails to put me in a good mood.
I'm a Cape Town boy who has been around the world and back and still hasn't found a place that I truly want to settle. I've written for numerous publications about all sorts of elements of popular culture. I'm a recordhound constantly on the search for "the perfect beat" and have come close a few times. I have far too many pairs of shoes and not enough pairs of pants unfortunately.
If you own any of these tracks and want me to remove them or you just want to get in contact for whatever reason then e-mail me at marc.kets[at]kumo-music.com.
