Exceptionalism, the fourth full release from composer and producer Remy LBO, marks both a summation and transition of artistic objectives. It’s a glassy, funky work of permuting textures, one through which the delicacy of craftsmanship is realized. “It’s way too easy to be musically aggressive and rely on tons of distortions and reverb and compression,” says LBO of the project. “It’s also too easy to be ‘experimental’ or abstract. I specifically wanted something that was quiet, funky, ever-evolving, but also clear with my intentions.”

Though LBO began the album with the ambition of relying on “live” instruments as his dominant tools, the process compelled him to reevaluate. “The more you spend time with a song,” says LBO, “the more the imperfections start to stick out. For instance, I play a fretless bass, so every moment where I played a little sharp or flat would begin to stick out like a sore thumb.” As a result, LBO found his strategy evolved to favor immaculateness, an ideality suggested by the album’s title. “By the end, I had replaced most of the drums, rewritten large sections of songs, and began to use a large amount of synthesizers, just because my technical limitations in playing instruments, as well as recording, were getting in the way.”

An incipient interest in orchestration and film scoring brought the virtues of continuity and accountability to the fore. “The most important thing of orchestration that I brought into this project is the concept of supporting your ideas.” On Exceptionalism, LBO demonstrates a sense of responsibility toward that which he creates. Over the course of the album, motifs are conceived and nurtured into maturity, with a constant eye to their purpose and fit. “With Exceptionalism,” says LBO, “in the back of my head, I was always thinking, ‘What’s the most important part of the song at this point? And how do I bring it out and make that part clearer.’”

LBO’s regard for theme is decisively cinematic, and it is this very consciousness that shepherds the listener on through to the conclusion of Exceptionalism. “I think motifs are the thread for a listener,” says LBO. “Anyone can create little melodies and make a song putting them one after another, after another. But if you keep doing that, I think you lose the listener quickly. It all becomes a blur. If you make a small motif and then develop it, it becomes the character that the ear follows through the song.”

Listen to Remy LBO’s Exceptionalism.

Weather Report Sweetnighter (Columbia) 1973

To me, this is the quintessential fusion album. It hits the perfect sweet spot right in between the free jazz and pop-jazz that bookended Weather Report’s career. A lot of people were trying to combine jazz and funk music in this period, and in my opinion, none of them hit the mark as perfectly as this one.

Painting by Dion Bello

“Up until I was eight or nine, I was bouncing around a lot, all the time as a kid. I was born in Maryland and lived in Jacksonville then moved all over the U.S.,” explains Chris Oroc, widely known as DJ Babu.

After constant relocation (due to his father’s naval service), Chris landed in Oxnard, California, in the early ’80s where his teenage years paralleled hip-hop’s booming rise. Now in his late thirties, the seasoned DJ has toured globally as part of the World Famous Beat Junkies and as one-third of Dilated Peoples, manning the tables as well as production.

Through eloquent routines, multiple ITF titles and Vestax championships followed. Other calculated efforts, like his famed juggle of “Blind Alley” by the Emotions, bolstered his rep in the ’90s. And Super Duck Breaks, an early DJ tool record he produced as the Turntablist, is amongst the most used—and beloved—in the field. Below are DJ Babu’s top ten records, a list that tells the story of his maturation as a kid in Oxnard to a world-class, international DJ.

Malcolm McLaren and the World Famous Supreme Team D’ya Like Scratchin’ (Island Records) 1983

This has to be the first—if not, the second—record I ever purchased. I actually bought this way before I was a DJ, when my family still had a record player in the house. This brings back fond memories of moving to Oxnard, California, in the early ’80s and being introduced to hip-hop. At the time, I was definitely trying to pop and b-boy, and “Buffalo Gals” was my shit! Just looking and listening to this record fascinated me; it was the first time I had seen a Technics 1200 on a sleeve. And, of course, who can ever forget the ill boom box on the cover?! This record was just hip-hop from head to toe.

Herbie Hancock Future Shock (Columbia) 1983

I don’t know if I bought this or D’ya Like Scratchin’ first, but this record was a huge influence on me. The work Grandmaster D.S.T. (now D.X.T.) did on “Rockit” will forever be in my brain. I still remember hearing this for the first time and wilin’ out! I had heard scratching before, but this record was a huge hit. You have to remember that in 1983 hip-hop was still hard to find, so to hear D.S.T. killin’ cuts over a Top 40 record was crazy! I’ll never forget the pattern. If you see Herbie Hancock and the Rockit Band perform “Rockit” on Saturday Night Live, you’ll see the first time a DJ was treated like a musician. Actually, you’ll see D.S.T. take over the whole show. To me, he was one of the first—if not the first—turntablists ever.

The Dean of Perth with Bakery and Jazz Ensemble Rock Mass for Love (Astor) 1971

Here’s an illy I caught down under in Australia. You’d be surprised how funky and musical cats are from other parts of the world, but these Australian cats basically set up shop in a cathedral in front of six thousand people. They did their own musical interpretation of Catholic mass and recorded it. Whatever it is, all I know is that these cats were ill and many a loop I have dissected from this record. Do not front on Aussie records!

Hiriomi Iwasaki Fantasy (Victor) 1976

This is a record I caught back in the day before Shibuya, Tokyo, was ran through. I mean, it’s still ill over there, but not like it was twelve years ago when it seemed like every ill record died and went to Tokyo. When I first went over there, I bought everything but Japanese records. Later, I realized I was sleepin’! This record is a perfect example; it’s a real soulful, popish-sounding LP, surprisingly funky, tons of dramatic intros and changes. Crazy. Please believe I made like ten beats off this record.

Franck Pourcel Aquarius (Atco) 1969

This record is what I call a “producer’s bang for your buck” LP—mad loops, sounds, and grooves. Lots of open loops with sparse percussion! I made at least ten beats from this record, a couple you might recognize, and it’s just a great record to revisit for sounds and samples. Franck’s an ill motherfucker!

Klaus Wunderlich Sound 2000 (Telefunken) 1973

I really love Moog and keyboard records because I feel like early keyboardists were the first bedroom musicians and producers—it’s something I relate to. On this LP, this cat Klaus is credited with playing the Moog, organ, and drums, so I imagine him with a gigantic module Moog with all these cables, buttons, knobs, and keys, just buggin’ out, diabolical-scientist style. But as far as the sound of this record, it’s really prophetic that he titled it Sound 2000, ’cause that’s what it sounds like.

The Bar-Kays Coldblooded (Volt) 1974

This is one filthy record right here. I love the sound and the way the record was mixed. As compared to previous LPs, this one definitely had a funky kind of rock-tinged sound. Reminds me a lot of early P-Funk, and “Smiling, Styling, Profiling” has to be one of the illest breaks ever; fans of Soundbombing 2 might recognize it!

Earth & Fire Gate to Infinity (Polydor) 1977

Great Dutch progressive rock record—I’m fortunate enough to travel, so when I’m out and about, I really try to make it a point to go digging. Being in other places while on the road really helped me to thicken up my collection and build my sound. This record is a perfect example of a crate digger’s heaven. This record is loop mania! I probably would have never found this in L.A., but I found this all the way in Holland. Nowadays, I could probably just find it on eBay. Wack! [laughs]

James Brown In the Jungle Groove (Polydor) 1986

This is actually a compilation LP, but at the time this was released, I was still pretty ripe on beats and breaks. But when I heard the song “Funky Drummer,” the realization of understanding that cats sampled this song to create a new track was mind blowing! All of a sudden, I understood why I kept hearing hip-hop jams that had this drum break I loved. From then on, I listened to music completely different—I guess it was my introduction to crate digging and finding samples and breaks. But what can I say about this LP that hasn’t been said? From listening, to sampling, to DJing, this LP has it all. The Godfather is the funkiest man in history.

The Continental IV Dream World (Jay Walking Records) 1972

I can’t say enough about how much I love soul records. No matter how much ill shit I find in other genres, I always seem to find myself back in the soul section. This record is a great example of why I keep coming back. The Continental IV were probably not the most original cats, but this record is ill. Super-tight production with a classic late ’60s, early ’70s soul vibe—a lot of dramatic intros and breakdowns, ill wah-wah guitar, and beautiful melodies and harmonies. Dope shit.

Courtesy of Sérgio Dias

For Issue 31, Wax Poetics contributor Allen Thayer spoke with Os Mutantes about their radical transformation of Brazilian music and the manner in which they were able to fuse rock, tropicalia, and psychedelia into something revolutionary. As a Wax Poetics online exclusive, guitarist Sérgio Dias discusses fifteen of the albums that contributed heavily to Os Mutantes’ dynamic sound.

The Ventures Twist with the Ventures (1961)

I started my guitar adventure learning this cat’s walk. Nocky Edwards was the best teacher, with his mean guitar work that is still technically very difficult.

Russ Garcia Fantastica (1959)

He made orchestrations for early sci-fi films. He was one of the first guys, as far as I know, that used electronic instruments like oscillators and stuff. I took my first “space-out” walks, wandering the galaxies of the music of the spheres, listening to this genius and his vision of “space-age music.”

The Beatles Revolver (1966)

This one hit me in the heart, and it’s a killer! All of the Beatles—Everything. Every time a Beatles album was released, it was like a change of your perspective on life, so I would have to name all of them. On Rubber Soul it was the introduction of vocals as a very important part of their writing and playing. Rubber Soul is a cornerstone. Revolver also. If you listen to “Tomorrow Never Knows,” you still can’t believe that somebody could do something like that.

Celly Campello Broto Certinho (1960s)

She was the voice of Brazilian youth. She was rebellious; she was our Natalie Wood. She was a singer from the beginning of the beginning of the rock music here. She was basically doing the early stages of the twist like Neil Sedaka.

Nino Tempo and April Stevens Nino and April Sing the Great Songs (1964)

Great vocals! We loved the interaction, and the band behind them was great! Their way of singing and the music is great.

The Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers (1958)

Arnaldo and I used them as mirrors, being brothers and such. They [helped us] solidify our singing.

Peter, Paul and Mary In the Wind (1963)

Rita joined our “Everly Brothers,” and we started to create more intricate harmonies. [Arnaldo and I] were in love with Mary of course.

Swingle Singers Bach’s Greatest Hits (1963)

This one really hit us because we had our classic influences from the cradle. When Johann Sebastian Bach joined Mutantes—what a treat! They used to sing Bach, but just vocals, and that influenced us a lot, because we were very much into classical music. My mother was one of the first women to write a concerto for piano and orchestra, and one of the best writers and interpreters that I have ever seen playing piano. She was somebody that influenced us more than anyone. We would see her coming back to center stage for a standing ovation like fifteen or sixteen times in the theater. She was outrageous.

Nat King Cole A Mis Amigos (1959)

Smooth and sexy! What a great pianist he was. He sung in Portuguese on this one: “Quero chorar, nao tenho lagrimas…”

Sly and the Family Stone Stand! (1969)

They really took us into the fifth dimension! We flipped out over the distorted bass and the beats.

Demonios da Garoa Trem das Onze (1965)

They were an outrageous band from São Paulo. They sing great, kind of a country style. They are the epitome of Paulista samba. They had a precious humor that they carried with their songs, a superb band with great harmonies, and the caipira singing along with the Mooca accent made us proud to be the Paulistas that we are!

The Rolling Stones Their Satanic Majesties Request (1967)

I used to fly along in my car listening to this one over and over. This made the Stones transcendent for me with their great vocals and percussion work.

”

Jimmy Smith Bashin’ (1962)

He’s the main influence on Arnaldo’s Hammond playing; he is still the best! Nobody plays like him. He’s the Cat!

Les Paul and Mary Ford Bye Bye Blues (1952)

My dear teacher, how I sweated to play the solo in “Bye, Bye Blues.”

Duane Eddy Dance with the Guitar Man (1963)

Claudio brought him up, and that gave us the awareness that sounds sometimes are as important as the notes!

Sydney-based Afro-funk crew the Liberators recently dropped their self-titled debut on Record Kicks. In 2011, they’re able to glean knowledge and inspiration from the pioneers—Nigeria’s Fela Kuti and America’s James Brown—as well as the funk and Afrobeat revivalists.

Hell, it’s been over a decade since Daptone’s Gabe Roth and Neal Sugarman broke onto the scene with the founding of Desco Records, basically renewing America’s interest in funk music. It’s already been a decade since the Brooklyn Afrobeat collective Antibalas pressed their first vinyl. So it’s no wonder that newer funk bands cite the New York funk-renaissance scene as an influence.

Liberators guitarist Edmund Hall, drummer Andrew Samuel, and guitarist/producer Nathan Aust run through a few records that help pave their band’s way, including Desco’s mysterious Daktaris, a latter-day Maceo gem, and heavy-metal icons Metallica.

Record Rundown

Guitarist Ed Hall:

Maceo Parker Life on Planet Groove (Minor Music) 1992

The most listened-to album in my collection. The JB Horns ripping it up in Cologne with Rodney Jones on guitar, Larry Golding on the Hammond, and the one and only Kenwood Dennard on drums. Raucous, uplifting music—2% jazz, 98% funk!

The Roots Organix (Cargo) 1993

It’s difficult, if not impossible, to choose my favorite album from the Philly pioneers. They have produced such a diverse catalog in their almost twenty-five years together, and their style and musicality have come a long way from this, their first release, but the dirty, raw, live feel of this album ensures it stands the test of time.

Dizzy Gillespie Souled Out (GWP) 1970

A record I appropriated from my dad’s collection, and one of the few to make the trip with me from the U.K. to Australia ten years ago—this is a great example of Dizzy’s versatility. Always a great experimenter and interpreter of “other” musical forms, Dizzy draws on soul, gospel, and blues music for this 1970 release, and the result is funky as hell.

The Other Side (Don’t Look Back) Behind the Shack (Desco) 1998

This was the first release on the Desco label, and when a friend played it for me, I didn’t know what I was listening to. This is where the modern funk movement started. The back cover said all I needed to know: “DESCO is seeking bands and musicians who are interested in recording HEAVY, HEAVY Funk or Boogaloo. If your influences include Parliament, Stevie Wonder, or be-bop, you need not apply. When it comes to getting down, James Brown is the ground.”

Yellow Magic Orchestra “Computer Games”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHhYbVVDuoA

Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti “For Kate I Wait”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U5zsTONjhw

LL Cool J “I Can’t Live Without My Radio” (Live on Soul Train, 1986)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWzUz4cnSfU

Sound in Light “Free Your Mind”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69e0WivZKy4

Laibach “Life Is Life” (Warning: May not be safe for work)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbB1s7TZUQk

Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers “Baby, Baby”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wsn4X4pgv5o

Bo Diddley “Bo Diddley”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgBbmuD_LQw

As above, so below, wrote magician-philosopher Hermes Trismegistus. It’s the key to all the universe’s mysteries: the macrocosmos is the same as the microcosmos. The Mackrosoft is the same as its microgram doses. A single bar of music from the brothers is as important as their entire catalog; a single beat represents their entire philosophy. See Cheebacabra’s shape-shifting synthesizer masterstroke, Exile in the Woods, and think Marc Moulin’s angular geometry. This is music as fractals played on a Mandelbrot drum set. Menacing, spiraling, salvia-chewing self-transforming machine elves go to work in the studio, and Cheeba plays Tristan Tzara and picks up the pieces. Also see the Mackrosoft’s jazz-funk organic opus, Antonio’s Giraffe, and think Bob James as primordial Ptah. Like a mad Strindberg indulging in alchemy, atomic arranger Aja West flips Sandoz Lab samples into Fibonacci sequences. He codes Headhunters drummer Mike Clark and triggers the cosmic 808 (RIP R. A. Wilson). Finally, see the adepts’ synth-funk ode to their childhood felines, Flash and Snowball, and think Herbie Hancock Gully-jaunting from synth to sensi. Together, Aja and Cheeba create a blood-brother ritual of dynamic interconnectedness, always macking their slew of keys — Minimoog Voyager, Sequential Circuits Prophet 5, Roland Juno-60, Korg PolySix, ARP Solina String Ensemble, Yamaha CS-40m, Moog Opus-3, the Cat by Octave, Roland JX-3P, MTI Auto-Orchestra, Ensoniq ASR-10, and the PAiA FatMan.

Halfway between my SoCal post and their Seattle studios, I met the Brothers Mack in an orange room deep below Mt. Shasta to discuss how life imitates clouds.

Where’d the name Mackrosoft come from?

Aja: Growing up in Seattle, mushrooms grew plentifully all over the Microsoft grounds, [where] we’d go to pick them.

And you worked for the Conan O’Brien show?

Aja: I got an internship with Conan O’Brien as the music coordinator. I also worked for the Max Weinberg 7, helping with arrangements. [But then] the World’s Strongest Man tried to lift me in the world’s biggest bowl of chili, for a sketch, and he dropped me.

Ouch. What’s your musical education?

Aja: I don’t read music at all. I got the ASR-10 keyboard real early in the game, influenced by Prince Paul…

Cheeba: We both did the Suzuki School of Music — a real strict Japanese music program.

Aja: We both tried that and hated it.

So, you’re basically self-taught?

Cheeba: I took a few months of piano lessons five years ago in L.A. It was actually really helpful. I learned one scale, and I pretty much use it on everything.

The Mackrosoft albums have amazing horn arrangements, but you’re not writing charts, Aja?

Aja: I can play most instruments, so I’ll record as much as I can first, and leave spaces for soloists. Then I have players come back in and replay the parts. When it comes to horns, I’ll play it in a bad horn sound on the synthesizer [first].

You record with Headhunters drummer Mike Clark and bassist Paul Jackson. Are you looping on Antonio’s Giraffe?

Aja: Absolutely. I did the drums first with Mike Clark. I’d loop everything up and add 808 kicks to punch it up, maybe add another snare, to thicken it, tighten it.

How was recording Fred Wesley?

Aja: Probably the most intense guy I’ve worked with in the studio. You’ll be like, “Can you do a little more of this?” He’s like, “No.” And then it’s like, “Cool.” [laughs]

When did you start collecting synthesizers?

Aja: We were always huge fans of the Knight Rider soundtrack — funky TV show intros like CHiPs, where it’s just sick synths. And we were like, “What makes that shit?” I bought a FatMan kit, because I wanted to figure out how this shit works. I learned what was going on in the inside.

Cheeba: Mike Simpson, one of the Dust Brothers, lent me his MPC for a while. That was my first serious production machine. Once I switched to Pro Tools, I started playing a lot more instruments myself, as well as recording other players. That’s when we started collecting [synths] more.

Aja: And the Dust Brothers had every [synth]. We could figure out what’s what without having to purchase it first.

Cheeba: One of them was addicted to eBay, buying every synth that came on eBay, no matter what condition.

At eighteen, you interned with the Dust Brothers?

Cheeba: Ended up working there for three years. Aja and I did a Fight Club remix. I got to beatbox on tracks. I got to meet musicians and learn a lot about running a record label. Instead of college, I went to the School of Dust.

Reveal your recording method.

Cheeba: For Exile, a lot of that began with a bunch of us on keyboards playing over different beats I looped up. Nothing premeditated — just started jamming. Then it took me a couple years to edit that stuff down to something cool — kept just the ten percent that worked.

Hence the abundance of change-ups?

Cheeba: Exactly. There’s going to be a lot more of that.

Aja: It’s a fine line between making the chaos and making the funk.

Cheeba: Kind of like short-attention-span funk.

You make it work.

Cheeba: The secret to that is in just deleting so much stuff, and that’s a hard thing to do.

RECORD RUNDOWN

Weather Report
Black Market (Columbia) 1976

Weather Report has long been a major inspiration for both of us. Joe Zawinul’s keyboard work is truly unparalleled. Even before his use of analog synths, the aural palette Zawinul had created through the combination of keyboards and effect pedals was astounding. On Black Market, Zawinul dominates on his preferred synth, the ARP 2600, even inversing the keyboard on the title track (the lower he played the notes, the higher the pitch). This is also the only Weather Report album in which saxophonist Wayne Shorter played the Lyricon, the first-ever breath-controlled analog synthesizer. Played like a horn, you could modulate the sound with the strength of your breath or the pressure of your lips on the mouthpiece, creating a very expressive and dynamic result. We regard Weather Report as one of the most innovative and soulful groups of all time.

Blackalicious's Chief Xcel (front) and Gift of Gab.

“I get high from collecting and creating,” so says Xavier Mosley, better known as Chief Xcel. By collecting, he’s referring to his 20,000 records; by creating, he’s referring to his production on Blackalicious‘s revered albums.

In addition to his album credits, Xcel also heads Quannum Projects, an independent label he jointly created in the early ’90s alongside Jeff Chang, DJ Shadow, Lateef the Truth Speaker, Lyrics Born, and Gift of Gab. But long before establishing himself as a label executive and premier producer, Xavier Mosley was — and still is — an avid record collector.

Xcel talks about inheriting his father’s records, his very first record purchase, how digging has affected his production, and some of his favorite digging spots across America. The second component of the interview finds Mosley listing his most important records, many of which have directly influenced his own body of work.

Part 1: On Record Collecting

So you really have 20,000 records?

No, I probably have a lot more than that. [laughs] When I got to about 20,000 is when I stopped counting.

What made you want to start collecting?

Nothing really made me do it. It more or less just happened. Some of my favorite and important records I was lucky enough to inherit from my father’s collection. He had a ton of records and that was, like, my starting point. Some of his records I never listened to at first, but years later I rediscovered them and realized what a great inheritance his collection was.

Do you remember the first record you bought?

Yeah, I remember, surprisingly. [laughs] The first record I bought was Parliament-Funkadelic’s Uncle Jam Wants You.

You still go digging often?

Yeah, I dig constantly. It’s a trip, though, because I dig a lot more away from home than I do at home. When we’re on the road ten months out of the year, there’s more time to do so.

Any memorable spots you’ve dug at while on the road?

North Hampton, Massachusetts, is pretty dope. Also, whenever I’m in Pittsburgh, I go wild, because it’s one of the few places left that’s like the Holy Grail for me. When I was working on Blazing Arrow, the majority of stuff I used was lifted from Pittsburgh. Those two spots have to be my favorites — I’ve had so many important finds there.

How has searching and listening to records effected your own production?

I’m always technically minded, so I’m always listening to the aesthetic of how things are put together. I guess, that’s a direct result of me doing what I do. When I’m listening to music, I’m listening for the love of it. But I’m also listening to learn from, or, to be inspired by it as well.

Whether listening to a record in your collection or to a beat you’ve made, what’s the most important aspect you listen for?

The feel is everything. I’ve seen people with dope record collections but can’t make a beat to save their life. You have to have a feel and an ear, because if it don’t feel right, it isn’t right. You can find the best break in the world, but if you can’t hear and visualize how it can be used, then it’s all for nothing.

Who has produced some of your favorite records?

Wow, there are so many. David Axelrod, Leon Ware, the Bomb Squad, Ant Banks, Dre, Pete Rock, Larry Smith, Lincoln Olivetti. In particular, Olivetti is a real important producer, because I think he’s amazing. He did a lot of Brazilian funk and samba in the ’70s. His whole approach to the rhythm was just really dope and just inspires me.

What has record collecting done for you as a producer?

It’s the core of what I do. All these years, I’ve made beats that reflected all these sounds and musical genres that have impacted me, and these records are like my musical vocabulary. They’re like the paint that I use to paint with — everything revolves around these records.

Part 2: On Important Records

Magnum Fully Loaded (Phoenix) 1974

This is a record I came up on in ’90, ’91. It was another one that was inherited from my father. The soul in that record is so heavy. It would later be reissued, much to my dismay, but it is a classic. We actually used it for our Blackalicious track, “Deep in the Jungle.” I simply love this record.

De La Soul 3 Feet High and Rising (Tommy Boy) 1989

I was in the tenth grade when this record came out. This record really showed me what the world of sampling could be. Prince Paul showed me that there are no limits to producing. I mean, I was lucky to have inherited quite a few records from my dad’s collection, but I never really used them. This album made me realize that even my dad’s records were fair game. So from that, I was introduced to the Turtles, Steely Dan, and other records that I might have never looked at as prospective samples.

Aretha Franklin Young, Gifted and Black (Atlantic) 1972

Arif Mardin is my all-time favorite arranger, and the song “Young, Gifted and Black” itself is amazing. I mean, Nina Simone did the original, but his interpretation, and what he did with it, was just crazy. It starts off as a gospel piece really, and the piano progression on it is awesome. It’s always been another one of those records that have been a blueprint for my production. Certain records to me I consider “Producer 101″ records, and this is definitely one of them.

Public Enemy It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (Def Jam) 1988

Wow. My initial reaction to this record was just that — “wow.” The Shocklee Brothers, Eric Sadler, and Chuck D just threw everything in the pot and made this wall of confusion that was organized at the same time. It was so intense. 3 Feet High and Rising showed me the possibility of sampling and Public Enemy was a realization of that possibility. They really just stretched my head out.

John Coltrane A Love Supreme (Impulse) 1965

This is one of my all-time favorite records. I’ve always been a fan of records that tell a story. And, to me, this record is a journey from beginning to end. It’s almost like CliffsNotes of somebody’s life and the lessons that they’ve learned. This is one of the greatest records ever made, in my humble opinion. It’s the kind of record that sticks with you.

Main Source Breaking Atoms (Wild Pitch) 1991

The first time I heard this record, it moved me to my core. By that time, I had reached a point where digging wasn’t something I took for granted — it had become a sport. And that was right around the time I met Lyrics Born and Shadow, and the three of us were going through the same phase at the same time. When I heard how Large Pro hooked up certain sounds for that record, or how he used “Baby Don’t Cry” for “Looking at the Front Door,” it made me look more intensely into the world of sampling. I love this record.

Fela Kuti Kalakuta Show (Wrasse) 1976

When I first got introduced to Fela, my mind was just blown! Here was this dude who would make records with one single groove that would last for eighteen minutes! His ability to just captivate you in that groove was just amazing to me. When I did the tribute album, I had to listen to a lot of his records. And the thing is, most of his songs are at least ten minutes long — at least. There is so much I can say about Fela’s records. They’re brilliant. I mean, I love almost all his records, but Kalakuta Show impacted me the most. It’s simply an amazing record! Fela is an astonishing musician. This record continues to blow me away.