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PlaylistDJ Shadow's The Private Press and Manu Chao's Radio Bemba Sound System
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DJ Shadow The Private Press MCA, 2002 With the chaotic, hyperbreakbeat of “Now Approaching Midnight” still ringing over the field, DJ Shadow stepped from behind the tables and introduced himself. The irony should have been apparent from the howls and applause of the crowd – most of whom, it’s fair to say, were not expecting anything like what Shadow dropped on them when they threw down for tickets to Creamfields. Shadow is a cultural archivist, and the world he creates with his Roland and a couple of turntables is as rarified and arcane as the vinyl world of the Soul Zodiac he remembers for us. The crowd he stunned at Creamfields, most of whom were born half a world away from the culture he represents, can’t be expected to call out Pharoh Sanders and the CAE from a two-beat sample. Who would sense the jaded facetiousness of dropping the picked out melody from Simon and Garfunkel’s “El Condor Pasa” atop a vintage Van Halen riff on the album’s ego trip “You Can’t Go Home Again”? Who cares, right? Everyone loved it, and the evolution of hip-hop was carried one small step further – to the very heart of the sweaty, populist euro-dance scene. “Thanks for the opportunity,” he said, before clearing the stage, and everyone cheered again. The Private Press builds on Endtroducing with modesty, respect and skills. Without this combo, Shadow couldn’t have pulled off Creamfields, but it’s not like anyone who knew would’ve doubted him for a second. Pick up The Private Press. Dance and decipher at will. Manu Chao Radio Bemba Sound System Radio Bemba, 2002 The contradictions come thick and deep with this release – evidently the third involving the very same songs that made Clandestino conquistadora and Proxima Estacion the pristupni stanice for crossover anarchists. All your favorites are here, and you don’t even have to cheer, the surprisingly dynamic live recordings have all that and more. RBSS is somehow nostalgic for a summer that only just melted, and if you made it to one of Manu’s impromptu performances around town earlier this year you’ll shake your head again at the banality of the overtones and the unadulterated, honest, toe-tapping goodness of the music. How can he do it? How can this diminutive highwayman tear through “Que Paso Que Paso” like Ian MacKaye on speed, then pluck away at one’s heart strings with “Minha Galera,” pausing to write “See you soon!” on the back wall of Fraktal – all without coming off as a sell out or a dope? Nevermind the how. RBSS delivers a Kingston-tinted sound that decomposes into a supercharged two-tone. The record is a testament to the people who travel with and play with Chao, even though he remains firmly the center of attention, and you can hear how crowded the stage is. The reggae influence, heavy on the first few tracks, springs from an undying admiration for Bob Marley, Chao claims, but more important to this effort is the punk edge that speaks of the Mano Negra days. Another studio album might well yield a more mature attempt at bottling the intricacies of the Kingston dub sound or it might dig deeper into Latinissimo, but one thing is sure: this is the last time we should have to swallow these old tracks without calling foul. |
Article added on Wed 30th Oct, 2002 [last updated Thu 6th Oct, 2005]Share this page 
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