30: Silent Eclipse - Psychological Enslavement

This isn't the first time I've attempted to tackle this list - I've made several half arsed attempts in the past. Hence it comes to pass that this is the first record that I actually bought a while back.

I know little about Silent Eclipse and the internet isn't much help. But have a look at the cover, the name of the group and the title of the album. This is a pretty heavy trip. And it's one of those UK Hip Hop records with a large reggae influence. I gave it a short shrift when I bought it but, actually I think it's a solid entry on the list.

They're pretty full on from the get go - the production is minimal and the rapping hits hard. The production though is changable enough for the record not to be dull and they're not preachy. The standout for me was "Policing as a Tool" in which the hypotheses is put forward for this "that most of the officers were bullied at school". It does that brilliant thing of mentioning the album title in the song: "I waked up early, I had it going on, Psychological Enslavement was going strong".

This is a dark record which doesn't feel heavy - they tell you the facts rather than try to force your hand. I don't know if I could listen to it a lot but it is a solid listen when it is on.

Here's a neat video of MCD from Silent Eclipse:

31: Roots Manuva - Brand New Second Hand

So the second entry by Roots in the list, but his first album. This was a pretty big deal at the time, but typically I was too lazy to get into it.

I've kept listening to him, the other record falling into my regular rotation so I've warmed to him a little. However, I just can't commit to it - there's something about his voice which doesn't match up for me.

Having said that I preferred this record to the other one, there's less fluff on this one and there's much less annoying electronic wibbles which I found distracting. Ultimately though, there's nothing on here which I found memorable - it's accomplished but I found it quite cold. This most likely reflects my taste - I like my hip hop to be super backpack or incredibly stupid. This is serious both muscially and lyrically so it doesn't quite match.

Here's a live version of my favourite track on "BBC Choice" which looks like it was presented by the work experience kid this week. He's way too laid back on this:

33: Parlour Talk - Padlocked Tonic

Have I said how it's utterly bonkers that I can only buy this record because I have a UK credit card? For all the little music services that are available to us now, none seem to solving the problem of just having a sensible rights system for digital music. Hence the lengthy delay on this one.

But it's a weird one - a Hip Hop record on Acid Jazz? I was a bit young for Acid Jazz and I don't really know much about the label but the name puts me off a little. So I was worried about this. Parlour Talk is Mister Deed and Sir Beanz OBE. The latter showed up in the second birth of UK Hip Hop, appearing on some Big Daddy CDs.

So it was a welcome blindsiding on this one - this record is non-stop fantastic. Sir Beanz has a thick Bristolian accent and can really rap. The scratching is great and the production is spot on - all light and bouncy whilst still keeping the beat up. It's a bit like Souls Of Mischief but more fun and more playful.

My favourite track was Gutted: A keyboard riff leading into drums and cowbell. Then "When you're feeling well hung or your gutted" and then guitar over the drums as the rapping bounces over the beat. It's really accomplished stuff. And then some Guru samples - truly the mark of confidence. Able Semen samples the Vulture classic Klaus Wunderlich and C'Mon Down takes its cues from a hammond heavy spinning wheel cover. It's a great great record, full of fun. Acid Jazz be damned!

No vids for Parlour Talk but here's Able Semen:

32: Cappo - Spaz The World

I missed one, mainly due to the stupidity of digital music being unavailable in different regions. So I had to wait until I could buy the last one on UK itunes, and then transfer it to this machine. One of the not-shiny parts of Digital Music.

This is Cappo, but really it's Cappo, and the P Brothers. In early noughties, when Big Daddy was busy being the best music magazine ever to come out of the UK, it felt like Nottingham was the epicentre of UK hip hop. It's strange to think that anywhere apart from London could be making a stamp on the world but though it was short lived, the P Brothers burst through with lots of boasting. At the same time, the distinctly London based Creators were also busy being top producers. Both were studied, had deep record collections and chops. But whereas the Creators felt a little too studied, the P Brothers always felt too brash for me - like they were trying too hard to have big drums.

This album changes my perception of them - here there are heavy drums and funk samples galore. But it's not relentless - and there are patches of light. Cappo's an okay rapper - nothing special for me here, and when Scor-Zay-Zee appears, it becomes more apparent. But his words are okay, I think he tries a little too hard to be hard but with the production it's lifted.

Watership Down is typical - all RZA type strings, then a beat from nothing - no reference points, just a bunch of samples. Learn To Be Strong is stunning - mixing two vocal samples together with drums and strings. It's a masterpiece, and Cappo raises his rhyming for it. It's also a short record and you never feel it outstays it's welcome. This and The Brotherhood record are really starting to bring in the second half of the list.

Here's a non-video for Learn To Be Strong:

34: The Brotherhood - Elementalz

A little on the late side with this one - Brotherhood, it seems, were going places in 1996. Some indie efforts, then signed to a major, shot some fancy black and white videos, and put out this record. They were on the brink of breaking through and then.....the inevitable.

There's a vitriolic piece on the web somewhere about how the music press didn't understand them and compared them to Public Enemy and Cypress Hill.  Which is unsurprising by they do offer up a really interesting blend of US and UK hip hop.

At some point during my disastrous tenure as a Lecturer I started a habit of listening to a particular record at the start of Friday afternoon. I started with the first Black Sabbath album, the sign of Sabbath o'clock indicating that the week of hell was almost over and the delights of the weekend were fast approaching. When I first came to California I did the same, but I chose to listen to Between a Rock and a Hard place to bring in the weekend - the change from Heavy Metal to tight indie hip hop representing my change in mood. The Brotherhood record brought all those memories flooding back.

This is a fantastic record, the kind of record that you're embarrassed to arrive to late. The production is slightly up tempo, drums are heavy and unrelenting. The rapping is spot on, mixing that laid back kind of sound of Artifacts or Black Moon into snatches of English - "I am Remington but I don't carry no Steel". It's incredibly polished - like a perfect gem, and well rounded. It's not too long and the production varies enough to stop it from feeling tired.

Alphabetical Response is the stand out track - bleepy bloops from the Radiophonic Workshop (maybe), leading into those drums and they've got you in their sights. The chorus : "We'll flip one to your bonce, alphabetical response!". It's wonderful.

It's early days on this one, but I think it might oust Braintax from the top spot. And to prove it, here's that arty black and white video for alphabetical response: