Mike Ladd - NEGROPHILIA (Thirsty Ear)

[JSngry]

Fresh, interesting, exciting, up to the minute, expoloratory, compelling, intriguing, unpredictable yet ultimately welcoming, everything you'd want in modern music.

Tape loops, samples, deconstructions, reconstructions, studio post-production assemblies, splicng galore, digital madness, everything you might not want in modern music (don't bother me none, though!).

Roy Campbell, Vijay Iyler, Andrew Lamb, Guillermo E. Brown, a.o. Not that any of them "solo", much less survive intact. Again - everything you might not want in modern music (don't bother me none, though!).

Just had a few listens, but so far, I'm tempted to call this the ON THE CORNER of the Post-Hip Hop Century. Yeah, it's THAT kind of a thing.

If you're still interested (much less reading) after THAT comment odds are good that you owe it to yourself to check this puppy out. It's good. DAMN good.

The tradition LIVES, even if it has morphed one HELL of a lot. If you ask me, that's how it's supposed to happen.

Check it out!

[Man with the Golden Arm]

I did some perusing and listened to a bit of "Shake". Sounds very interesting. I do see that there are vocals here? In abundance?? That only flies so far for me. I did check a bit of Vijay Iyler and Mike Ladd on iTunes. That was good to here just once maybe.

Then again I must be compulsive to such modernity as I saw your signature as saying:

"Brought to you through the courtney love"

[JSngry]

Spurred on by my enjoyment of this album, I went ahead on and picked up Ladd's 1999 release WELCOME TO THE AFTERFUTURE. Much more "pure" hip-hop in orientation (not a lot of jazz in the overall mix, despite a lyrical reference to Cecil McBee and a really nifty sample pulled from, I think, FREE JAZZ), but damn, does this guy make interesting music, both lyrically and instrumentally (such as it is).

Neither album is going to change anybody's mind about hip-hop and/or techno elements in music, but if you're not inclined to dismiss the genre(s) out of hand, if you can deal with the mechanics involved as being legitimate tools of music-making, then let me give you a nudge in this guy's direction. MUCH happening, for sure!

I think I'm putting Mike Ladd on my short "follow this cat" list from here on out, or at least until he gets boring and/or predictable. So far, no signs of that happening any time soon.

[kh1958]

I assume you've heard the collaboration with Vijay Iyer, In what Language? If not, you need it because it is exceedingly good.

[JSngry]

Got it, and I totally agree.

[Joe]

Pretty interesting interview with Ladd in the February WIRE (the one with Anthony Braxton on the cover -- another fascinating conversation, BTW).

[kh1958]

I was up in New York for a seminar about a year and a half ago and, after the Jazz Gallery turned the house after the first set, I walked over to Sweet Rhythm and took a chance on seeing Vijay Iyer with Mike Ladd, never having heard of either, and it was one of those--damn this is good surprise moments. I was back the next night for sure.