REVIEW: Various Artists, Old School vs. New School (Jive Electro)
- Joe Silva
Considering the depth and urban stature of their back catalogue, offering up this wealth of material to the whims of a new generation, was probably an act of high seduction. The choices might not be all that you might expect (who'd pass over Mystikal for a whack at a Stone Roses track?), but the overall results are fresh enough to subdue any complaints.
Employing a couple of heavy hitters (Fat Boy Norman Cook, Grooverider), and some lesser known faves (Rabbit In The Moon, Aphrodite), the mix of talent is enticing and diverse enough to tug at a listeners attention, for "back in the day" nostalgia if nothing else, throughout the disc. Leading off with the Whodini classic "Magic's Wand," rehabbed by Big Beat Brit-boys Freestlyers, the collection gets off on the good foot. This track and a fair portion of the others aren't so much disassembled as they are decorously updated. Even more surprising is that with one exception there's not a track that clocks in over seven minutes. The coming vinyl treatments will undoubtedly stretch out some.
Immediately worthwhile is Pimp Juice's reclamation of A Tribe Called Quest's "Go Ahead In The Rain." Equally well re-spun is Aphrodite's take on the Tribe's "1nce Again." But if the interest factor dips a touch during the Bassbin Twins' assault on Boogie Down Production's "A Crate of BDP" where the interest dips are fairly acceptable, it touches bottom when Bad Boy Bill has his way with Kool Moe Dee's "I Go To Work." That was a track best left to the inner vault. Norman Cook's go at the Tribe's "I Left My Wallet in El Segundo" may skank some, but ultimately it disappoints. More redeeming are items like DJ Icey's account of Whodini's "Five Minutes of Funk" and the well-executed Hybrid Mix of Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince's "Summertime." With enough worth-while stuff on display, here's to looking for Volume II.
