MIXED REVIEWS

DJ Platurn
So This is De La Heaven
(Future Primitive)
This one’s been out for a while, but there’s some albums you play over and over like they’re new. I’ve rocked So this is De La Heaven so much that the CD has grooves in it. DJ Platurn’s recipe is simple: combine classic De La Soul jams with some extended play of vinyl sampled by the Plugs, sprinkle with slick turntablism and POW! You get a unique perspective into one of raps most influential groups.
Not just a tribute album to De La Soul, De La Heaven is also a meditation on the music that influenced them. Platurn moves seamlessly from tracks by Maceo Parker, Michael Jackson, and Funkadelic to nostalgic De La Soul raps with walk-ons by Q-Tip & Mos Def. That flow makes it just right in any situation: whether you’re deep in thought, running around, or undressing with your favorite so-and-so. -Conway
Sample Tracks:
Piano Sample
Sunshine High



JBo & JJEq are the Nightcrawlers
Catacombs
(ILC Music)
Catacombs is an honest expression by emcees JBO and JJEQ of profound life experiences matched with gritty, relentless beats. They succeed with a rough vocal quality similar to that of Xzibit and a story-telling style with distinctly underground tones reminiscent of Atmosphere. Crime, poverty and addiction thrive in the tunnels of the Catacombs. This is the home of JBO and JJEQ who describe the qualities that help them navigate these shady passageways—determination, focus, drive, experience and a tight grip on reality. This is an underground production all the way, so if you don’t catch them hustlin’ the CD outside a show, check it out at their site. -J.Tanner
Sample Tracks:
Barternder
Open Road
Vibe



DJ Sake1
Soul Deluxxe Vol.3
((((Local 1200)))
Soul Deluxxe Vol. 3 by Sake One is a mixtape that draws you onto the dancefloor and gives you no option but to move. Your hips will move easily as Goapele’s silky vocals roll off of her tongue in the 9th Wonder remix of “Catch 22”. This velvety blend of jazz, soul, funk and reggae inspires both emotionally and intellectually. Lumumba’s meditative track “Sing With the Birds” contrasts the modern malfunctions of society to the seamless existence of a bird. Sake One demands effort from the listener, but not without dropping some humor in, as on “No More Dating DJs”. San Francisco’s founder of the (((Local 1200))) Sound System handpicked these tracks to land both stirring introspection and a body-rockin party on listeners. Clearly, Sake didn’t miss with Soul Deluxxe 3. -J.Tanner
Sample Tracks:
(Medley)



Various Artists
Bay Area Funk Vol.1
(Ubiquity)
Bay Area Funk is your guide to the Bay’s consistent tradition of gettin’ down. As with hip-hop today, funk clung like summer fog here in the 1960s and ‘70s. Before there was Sly, Santana or Graham Central, there was Marvin Holmes, Johnny Talbot, and Eugene Blacknell. These cats pioneered their own brand of funk that heavily influenced their more-famous counterparts (sound familiar?). They fused blues and latin sounds with down-south funk, and were part of a whole scene of like-minded groups.
DJ Riddm, who put together this collection, says “the mission of this compilation was to get these artists the respect and exposure they deserve.” A must-have for funkologists and those truly down with the Bay. -Conway
Sample Tracks:
Rodger Collins: "Foxy Girls in Oakland"
Little Denise: "Check Me Out"
Pi-R-Square" "Fantasy"