04/13/12: Madlib - Madlib Medicine Show No. 10: Black Soul (2011)

04/13/12: Madlib - Madlib Medicine Show No. 10: Black Soul (2011)

1. To Promote Illogical Thinking
2. To Increase Efficiency of Mentation and Perception
3. To Promote the Intoxicating Effect of Alcohol
4. The Induction of Hypnosis
5. To Withstand Privation, Torture and Coercion
6. To Promote Amnesia
7. May Result in Shock and Confusion
8. To Produce “Pure” Euphoria
9. To Alter Personality Structure

     I'm eventually going to get through all of these it seems. Number 10. A mix of 60s and 70s soul, disco and funk. This is the first one I genuinely can't see myself listening to again. I just can't really get into this type of music very much. As usual, it was really well done, I just didn't like the music. I listened to the entire album that clocked in at just short of 77 minutes. "Black Soul" had a few surprising moments that I was able to get into but for the most part this just wasn't my thing. Still love Madlib though and i still have at least 4 of these to thoroughly listen to. (104)

04/05/12: Madlib - Madlib Medicine Show No. 12: Raw Medicine (Madlib Remixes) (2011)

04/05/12: Madlib - Madlib Medicine Show No. 12: Raw Medicine (Madlib Remixes) (2011)

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     Yep, its time for some more Medicine Show. This is technically the first part of his remix series within the Medicine Show. The Black Tape while being a surprise extra entry in the series is part 2 of this. There are audio cues and decisions that tie the two together as a complete set. There are actually moments found on both records which really did make them seem more like a cohesive 2 disc set.This group of recordings is as diverse as No. 13 if not more. The musical influences that Madlib built beats out of are as all over the map as this entire series has been. The one thing that sets it apart is a more heavy focus on beats and production. At the base level its the same approach, random hip-hop verses from all over the hip-hop universe remixed with short compositions, and beats by Madlib. The reason I say its different is the fact that there are a lot more instrumental tracks and interludes that purely showcase his production skills. Anther solid entry in the Medicine Show. It's genuinely inpressive how Madlibs approach to production can make me appreciate rappers or songs that I previously had no respect for. (096)

03/06/12: Madlib - Madlib Remixes 2: Saturday Morning Edition (2004)

03/06/12: Madlib - Madlib Remixes 2: Saturday Morning Edition (2004)

1. Remixtroduction
2. Moodswing
3. Ghetto Dwellaz
4. Devils
5. Rap Niggaz
6. My Favorite Ladies
7. Movement
8. Disco Break
9. Likwidation
10. Rockin
11. Put Ur Hands Up
12. Blunt Break
13. Flyby
14. Bear Wizz Beer Commercial
15. Throwback
16. Nothing Lesser
17. Doomilla
18. Nasty N
19. Game
20. Memory Lane
21. Public Disservice Announcement
22. On The Grind
23. Gitmine
24. Net Weight
25. Quarterlude
26. Ridewitus
27. Cog Was Wrong Commercial

     I had been listening to a ridiculous amount of Madlib but everything I listened to was from the recent Madlib Medicine Show series. I decided to listen to something that was not a part of that series and that led me to another recommendation from a former coworker of mine; Madlib Remixes 2: Saturday Morning Edition. It is another hip-hop style mixtape of remixes. All of the production is centered around a theme of 80-esque disco (I guess). Production-wise it was decently entertaining but really wasn't my cup of tea. The problem here was where the samples came from. I really wasn't digging a lot of it due to just not being into this type of music. It does have an old-school hip-hop feel but overall I just couldn't get into this one. Not my style and just not as interesting as many other albums I've heard from Madlib. (066)

03/05/12: Madlib - Madlib Medicine Show No. 13: The Black Tape (2012)

03/05/12: Madlib - Madlib Medicine Show No. 13: The Black Tape (2012)

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     This and the next entry are both going to be more Madlib entries. What can I say, I've been in quite the Madlib mood, but I'm gonna take a Madlib break after the next 2 entries. This album is the surprise 13th entry in the Madlib Medicine Show series of albums. It came out this month and definitely falls on the hip-hop production side of his talents but at the same time has a very mixtape like feel. The description of this album is simply "The Secret Medicine Show. Ages 18+". It's a mixtape of 35 songs that are mostly 2 minutes or less. Most of them are Madlib beats and production with a huge cast of guest rappers. I don't know most of my rappers by voice so not having a tracklist sucked. There are A LOT of really great tracks but I know MF Doom was on there for one of the best tracks on this volume. There are also some really cool DJ interludes including a recurring series where he cuts people talking over a basic blues riff making for some of the strangest and funniest blues tracks possible. If youre in a hip-hop mood, this was a really good listen. Really talented rappers over an incredibly diverse collection of production and beats by Madlib. Check it out... Plus the album cover is disturbingly awesome. (065)

03/02/12: Madlib - Madlib Medicine Show No. 4: 420 Chalice All Stars (2011)

03/02/12: Madlib - Madlib Medicine Show No. 4: 420 Chalice All Stars (2011)

1. What Are the Medical Benefits of Smoking Marijuana?
2. What Are the Negative Risks of Smoking It?
3. What Alternatives Are There to Smoking?
4. Are a Lot of Pesticides on Pot?
5. Where Is All This Pot Coming From?
6. So What Does the Law Say About These Dispensaries and Their Various Pot Products?
7. How Much Pot Am I Allowed to Have at One Time?
8. How Do I Get a Prescription?
9. Will My Name End Up on Some DEA List?

     This is the 4th entry in the "Madlib Medicine Show" series and is a Jamaican themed mixtape by Madlib. From the liner notes....

          "All Jamaican sounds. You're tuning to your boss D.J. Madlib. Musical disc from the flick of his wrist to make you jump and twist. Madlib control the fullest. Roots. rock. reggae. Good stuff, as I would say."

This album was another musical journey through a place and theme that I enjoyed. I expected this mix to be ALL reggae, but it ended up being about more than that one genre (but still predominately Reggae). I like some reggae but I still assumed this mix would be unenjoyable for me. I was wrong. I wasn't familiar with anything on the mixtape besides a small riff or melody here and there but I was still glad to be listening to it. It's worth a listen just for the exposure to unfamiliar music. I feel like Madlib is schooling me in these genres of music in the most entertaining and A.D.D. way possible. If you don't like reggae, I'd say still give it a shot, but at the same time, I can't imagine it converting anyone.
     Yeah, I enjoyed it but its still below many other entries in the Medicine Show run of albums but that's caused by my standing with reggae and not Madlib's rad mixing skills. (062)

02/27/12: Madlib - Madlib Medicine Show No. 7: High Jazz (2011)

02/27/12: Madlib - Madlib Medicine Show No. 7: High Jazz (2011)

1. Steppin' Into Tomorrow (Prelude) (The Jackson Conti Band)
2. Electronic Dimensions (Generation Match)
3. Pretty Eyes (Jahari Massamba Unit)
4. High Jazz (The Kenny Cook Octet)
5. "Medley: Don't You Worry Bout a Thing (Live at Spear for the Moondog)" (Stevie Wonder & Miles Davis) (Yesterdays New Quintet)
6. Interlude
7. Reality or Dream (The Big Black Foot Band feat The Black Spirits)
8. Drunk Again (Russel Jenkins Jazz Express)
9. Funky Butt, Part 1 (Poyser, Riggins & Jackson)
10. Wonderin'/Nightime (Jahari Massamba Unit)
11. Space & Time (R.M.C.)
12. Conquistador (Yesterdays New Quintet)
13. Tarzan's Theme (The Big Black Foot Band feat. The Black Spirits)
14. Interlude
15. Kimo (Joe McDuphrey Experience)

     Time for another entry from last years "Madlib Medicine Show" project. This is album 7 in the series and features jazz music produced and arranged by Madlib. I was doing my research about this music and apparently Madlib has done Jazz albums before. I know he's a multi-instrumentalist so I am sure he played some of the instruments on each track (not sure what or which tracks) From what I gathered these songs were recorded at a bunch of different times and they are listed here as being recorded by different Madlib aliases. Most of the aliases are Madlib, but I believe there are still a fair share of guest artists and musicians in these recordings.
     This album was actually really great. The recordings span a wide range of modern Jazz music styles as well as adding that hip-hop production and turntableist approach that is very much Madlib's own. Despite being recorded in different sessions at different times, Madlib created an incredibly cohesive and free flowing album. This album seems to be the furthest removed from the rest of the entries in the Medicine Show series that I have heard. If you like Jazz, this is a really unique journey within the Jazz genre that in my opinion is a must listen.  (058)

02/24/12: Madlib - Madlib Medicine Show, #2: Flight to Brazil (2011)

02/24/12: Madlib - Madlib Medicine Show, #2: Flight to Brazil (2011)

1. Rio De Janeiro
2. Sao Paulo
3. Belo Horizonte
4. Porto Alegre
5. Salvador
6. Recife
7. Fortaleza
8. Brasília
9. Curitiba

     Madlib is one of the most prolific hip hop producers of the 2000's. He has collaborated with many of the biggest names in hip-hop like MF Doom, De La Soul, and Ghostface Killah just to name a few. He is a DJ, multi-instrumentalist, rapper and music producer. I received the pleasure of discovering my love of Madlibs DJing and production just as he was embarking upon a crazy musical project: The Madlib Medicine Show. The Medicine Show series was originally announced as a 12 albums in 12 months project with odd numbers being his production work and the even months demonstrate his DJ and mixing skills. All 12 volumes have already released and there ended up being a surprise 13th Volume that comes out in March this year. I have flipped through many albums in the series but there are quite a few I have yet to give a thorough listen to. Flight to Brazil is Number 2 in the series and is a Mixtape. From Wikipedia....

            "Flight to Brazil is your ticket out of this hell hole and onto an 80-minute guided tour through three or four decades of Brazilian funk, psychedelic, prog-rock and jazz."

     That  really pretty much covers it. This album is basically a giant mashup of many decades and genres of Brazilian music that Madlib had compiled in his vinyl collection through the years. Madlib really is spectacular at what he does. Its one song into the next and sometimes multiple songs at the sametime. He is incredible at mixing this musical history collection together. Its such a strange concept to me overall yet the album had me hooked from the get go. I really don't know what to say other than If you want to hear a ton of Brazilian music in about 79 minutes but have it presented to you in a hiphop mixtape sort of way go for it. DJing has never been as interesting to me as Madlib makes it. He's obviously a master of what he does. (055)