DIM MAK
EPoch
(Heavyweight Titles) Dim Mak's EPoch, which was released this fall, has the same Northwest noir that the Oldominion crew has perfected--especially in the form of Grayskul--but their beats are much heavier and loop arrangements more symphonic. Though the Seattle-based rappers can be heard and understood against the tumult of strings and horns, they do not express or explore an inner world. Dim Mak are external, loud, and as bold as John Williams' Darth Vader theme. There is also a militaristic element in Dim Mak's hiphop--not in the realistic sense of MOP, who directly borrow their fury and attitude from the figure of the drill sergeant, but instead in the nature of a supernatural army. The forces of evil vs. the forces of good--this is the kind of war that rages through Dim Mak's impressive EP.
PAUL ST. HILAIRE, AKA TIKIMAN
Unspecified
(False Tuned) In 1993, Paul St. Hilaire arrived in Berlin from the French Caribbean island of Martinique, which is just south of the island on which he was born, Dominica. By 1996 he was singing for a Berlin dub-techno duo that initially went by the name Basic Channel but by then had changed to Rhythm & Sound. The collaboration produced several underground dance hits--the most popular of which was "Never Tell You"--and established him as the most recognizable reggae and dub singer in Berlin. Hilaire's first full-length CD, Unspecified, which was released this summer, departs considerably from dub-techno. In fact, save for the opening track, "One After One," there is very little dub on the CD, and almost no spacy electronic effects. Hilaire has instead produced an almost pure work of roots reggae, a CD that derives its inspiration from the kings of Jamaican pop--Bunny Wailer, Bob Marley, and Gregory Isaacs. Some songs even unabashedly steal Bob Marley's bubbly skank. Fans of the cold, Nordic, high-tech Rhythm & Sound tracks will certainly be disappointed by the optimism and sunniness of Unspecified. But several listens of the CD will explain why the collaborations between Hilaire and Rhythm & Sound were (and still are) so successful: He is a master of roots reggae vocals. It is his actual medium of expression, and in his Berlin recordings we find the purity of Rhythm & Sound's cold techno matched by the purity of warm roots reggae.
VARIOUS
No Edge-Ups in South Africa
(7 Heads)
The first track on this collection, "B.M.I.G.," by rap traditionalist Asheru, is an example of what can only be called perfect hiphop. One of the 10 or so rappers (including El Da Sensi, Talib Kweli, and J-Live) featured on this CD, Asheru is a traditionalist because the style of his rap and beats are from the past--specifically the early to mid '90s. It is as if the work of that period was left unfinished, and his mission is to return to it and reengage its dreams and themes, so that they might finally arrive at the conclusion of their initial inspiration. All of the tracks on No Edge-Ups in South Africa stick to the fundamentals: strong raps, hard beats, melodic loops. The Brooklyn-based label 7 Heads, which released the oddly titled compilation, is one that will reward any attention paid to it in 2004; it also dabbles in house, broken beats, techno, and dub. If all goes as planned, soon expect the decline of Def Jux and rise of 7 Heads.
