Various Artists - Dance & DJ - Techno - Xen Cuts
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Free Music Notes for Xen Cuts
Free Music Review: I wish I had four hands to give this album a four thumbs up!
Hit: 5 Stars
I am not a big hip-hop fan, I do not totally dislike it but it just does not get my attention. AT first I beat my self up for spending money on this worthless collection, that was only until the second time around. This is the most daring and innovative stuff out there which has changed my perception of hip-hop. I am an avid collector of underground and provocative music and this has definitely become my "for-special-occasions-only" choice. Absolutely "empinga'o"Free Music Review: Everything Xen
Hit: 5 Stars
So Ninja Tune decides to release a huge, mega-compilation (3 CDs, 46 tracks) ... I then decided to take a chance (going simply on the label's reputation and a few tracks I'd heard). And I'm glad I did. There's so much here, and the amazing part is how much of it is outstanding.Disc One concentrates on hip-hop. The general theme here is decent MCs dropping above-average lyrics over phenomenal beats. It's probably the most consistently high-quality disc here.
Standouts: Amon Tobin - "Saboteur"; Big Dada Sound - "Showtime"; Kid Koala - "Emperor's Main Course"; Luke Vibert - "I Hear The Drummmer"; Up, Bustle & Out - "Hip Hop Barrio"
Disc Two emphasizes the more chilled, jazzy, trip-hop stuff. There are some moments that don't work (Loka, Animals on Wheels, Flanger) because of off-tempo programming, but the vast majority of the disc is excellent.
Standouts: both Clifford Gilberto tracks, Funki Porcini, Amon Tobin, Up, Bustle & Out
Disc Three is less cohesive as a single unit, but is equally fun. The winners here (out of a huge batch of winners) are Saul Williams, DJ Vadim, DJ Food, and Roots Manuva.
All in all, a great compilation of innovative hip-hop/techno/trip-hop. The only drawback is there's so much here it may be overwhelming!
Free Music Review: How best to express
Hit: 5 Stars
How best to express the sheer brilliance of Xen cuts, the box set? A masterful combination of hip hop and techno brilliantly combined to create a brilliant compilation. The first cd begins with an influx of hip hop and as someone who's never really gotten into that type of music i was pleasantly suprised especially enjoyed Your revolution by DJ Vadim with vocals by Sarah jones, it's use of vocals, with an influx of techno certainly is worth a good listen. The tracks by Amon Tobin, DJ Food, Kid Koala and Mr scruff and some of the other ninja tune legends are a must hear and i especially recommend on the third cd Drunk trumpet by Kid koala. While the individual songs certainly stand out on this album it really is only when the whole album is listened to disk by disk that you really "get it", the magic created by the record label which hopefully will continue to grow and flourish well into the future P.s make sure you get the 3 cd version as i've also seen a 2 cd set floating around which misses out on the previously un realsed material which is a much haveFree Music Review: Ninja Tune Rules.
Hit: 5 Stars
I am a big fan of The Herbaliser, and my friends keep telling me I should listen to Roots Manuva and Kid Koala. I'm also an avid Amon Tobin fan.Wow, this set is incredible. I advise you to buy it right now and never take it out of your stereo.
I particularly liked Kid Koala's "Emperors Main Course." Imagine, if you will, Chinese (cantonese) dialect interspersed with scratching, all kinds of crazy cooking samples, a killer bassline, and traditional chinese music.
Ninja Tune is simply the best there is.
100% recommended to anyone with ears.
Free Music Review: Something for everybody
Hit: 5 Stars
This CD set probably has the largest range of sheer music styles that I have ever heard. I saw this in a record store and it looked promising when I saw the highlight names on the back (Koala, Coldcut,Food, Herbaliser), but I had no idea what I was really buying. There really is something for everybody. If you feel like kickin it old school with the homies, first disc has sweet hip hop beats and subtle turntablism that just about anyone who's remotely on the scene can appreciate and grow to love. Incidentally, Kid Koala's track on CD1 has broken more of my friends into the scene than any other. The 2nd CD showcases the slower, more moody side of Ninja, with Amon Tobin making a big showing, as well as Funki Porcini and DJ Food making great contributions. The 3rd CD is just craziness...all sorts of great songs that don't fall under any particular category, but all top notch. And the thing that really hit me was despite the scope of the CD and the amount of artists involved, it is more consistent in quality than almost any other album I've bought, ever. Out of the whole set of 40-something tracks, there are only 3 or 4 that I feel like skipping over, and even then it's just becuase they are like a 9 out of 10 instead of straight awesome. This CD is a definite pickup, I've bought maybe 8 CDs from Ninja since I bought this 2 months ago, and I'm just getting started. In short: Top quality, huge quantity, something for everybody. Get it now.