3 tracks: Zhané

Pronounced Jah-Nay:apart from being the name of Zhané’s first album, it was also meant as statement of intent - we are here now. Like many neo soul/commercial crossovers of the time however, this particular Rnb duo were victims of the record labels’ ruthlessly exploitative means of churning out urban music: signed on to a 1 album contract (that sold very well), they were given the chance to record a second, 1997’s Saturday Night. Both intelligent and musically talented, they clashed with the executives over the direction the album should take, and although it faired pretty well in the charts, they were dumped. 

Zhané - Groove Thang

Although they were treated very unfairly, their first album is bursting with the attitude and self confidence inferred from the LP’s title. Groove Thang is a personal favourite of mine, andnot only because Nice N’ Ripe’s 24 Hour Experience sampled it so effectively. I consider it a straight up club number, and have played it numerous times to a great response.

De La Soul feat. Zhané - 4 More

Had to include this groover, off De La’s seminal ‘96 effort Stakes Is High. Such a buttery track, I love the duo’s vocals and interspersed harmonic flurries throughout the track. Smoother than Barry White wrapped in velvet!

AZ, Ray Buchanan & Scott Gailbraith feat. Zhané - When The Cheering Stops

Produced by The Ummah and Rick St. Hilaire, this track is off NFL Jams, an album that would be hilarious if it wasn’t so good. An official NFL product, it features everyone from Donell Jones to Ghostface dueting with some of the biggest football stars of the time. In this case, NFL big dogs Scott Gailbraith and Ray Buchanan deliver the goods to the fullest - and of course Zhané handle the chorus with consumate ease. Shouts out to CHOICE CUTS favourites AZ and D’Angelo, who’s Lady is subtly interpolated. 

Sometimes I wonder what a 5th or 6th Zhané record would sound like, and what Rnb in generally would’ve become if groups like this one had been given time and faith by their labels. As it happened, it was cheaper and more effective to go from group to group, churn out an LP or two and then discard them, leaving behind a trail of shattered dreams, mismanaged careers and a toxic environment in which thought and musical integrity was cast aside in favour of cheap gimmicks and glossy appearances. Whilst many fell by the wayside, victims of their own manufactured dizzying, snapshot success, Zhané landed gracefully, going their separate ways and becoming involved in many other musical projects, including collaborations with Roy Hargrove’s RH Factor. Blessings.

3 tracks: love will find a way

Before becoming every housewife’s favourite crooner and studiously sculpting embarrassing facial hair/curly mullet combos (actually scrap that last statement), Lionel Richie was behind some of the best soul albums with the Commodores, and disco records when he embarked on a solo career in the early 80s. His second album, Can’t Slow Down, released in ‘83, encompasses the smooth disco sound he was so good at producing.

 - Someone please find me this notebook

Can’t Slow Down’s 5th track, Love Will Find A Way, is not only a great track in its own right, but also offers solid evidence when exploring the ways urban music feeds on its ancestry and tradition when crafting new genres. Lionel’s track has given birth to two great cuts, one hip hop and one house. 

Although The Dogg Pound’s track only samples the initial drum loop, it is nonetheless a fascinating insight into the science of sampling: who would of thought that the duo, infamous for its thug lyrics and general gangster demeanour, were Lionel Richie fans? It’s funny thinking of them head nodding in the studio to the original, sippin on a 40 in a Raiders hat. Miguel Migs’ track is truer to Lionel’s: he keeps it real simple, adding a nice bassline and little else. The result is a killer house number, reaffirming the intrinsic connection that house and disco share. Enjoy!

3 tracks: the Kashif touch

Kashif’s debut album for Arista Records, the eponymous Kashif, was released in 1983. Pretty much produced, performed, and arranged entirely by the man himself, it’s influence on post disco and dance music is immediately clear - from the syncopated handclaps to the synth basslines. Kashif’s success was a huge hit for Arista, who released a flurry of albums in the following years that replicated the Kashif sound. 

As disco suffered a spectacular decline in commercial sales in the late 70s, artists still interested in the genre started to benefit from an increased freedom of expression and experimentation that an unpopular sound allowed them. Kashif was one of the first to set disco within a very structured, almost 4x4 rhythmic drum pattern, effectively paving the way for the first mainstream house records to appear in the late 80s. Whilst Kashif is a great record, a lot of successive Arista output doesn’t make the grade. Below are 3 cuts that hold up the Kashif sound.

Lillo Thomas - Trust Me

Kenny G - Do Me Right (click the link to watch on Youtube)

Howard Johnson - Keepin’ Love New

The first track also came out in 1983 and is performed by one of Kashif’s backing singers. Although Kashif had little to do with this record, the crisp snare on the 2nd and 4th and the bassline are very reminiscent of the man’s signature sound. The second track came out on Kenny G’s second record, G Force, which was also released by Arista in ‘83. Kashif did play keyboards on a couple of tracks (including a sax reprisal of Help Yourself To My Love from Kashif), and executively produced the album. The third track is a Kashif production and came out the the year before his debut album… but is a stone cold JAM, and Howard’s terrible ad-libbing in the video is unmissable.

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3 tracks: guess who’s back

CHOICE CUTS hasn’t polluted your airwaves for some time now, apart from the occasional rushed scribbled sidenote. The time away hasn’t been spent in vain, though - having got lost down sonic backstreets, whispered in hush tones to forgotten b-sides and plotted and schemed with the gulliest beats on the corner, the blog remerges with a fresh perspective on music and some stone wall classics to boot.

Joanna Law - First Time Ever (Mellow Groove)

Gwen McRae - Keep The Fires Burning

Eve Gallagher - Love Is A Master Of Disguise (Frankie Knuckles Classic Club Mix)

3 tracks: RnB rerubs

The B-side is the natural hiding place of the shy, retreating remix. The dopest of edits can often be found lurking in the shadows, as the A-side gets repeated playtime and steady props. Only a little digging is required to uncover these gems: below are three of my favourites, edits/remixes so flavoursome they surpass the originals.

Mark Morrison - Return Of The Mack (C and J X-Tended Radio Edit)

Montell Jordan - This Is How We Do It (Puff Daddy Radio Mix)

Brandy - Baby (Uptown Mix)

The first cut is essentially an extended version of the radio edit, but is infinitely superior. The piano solos at both ends of the song add depth and texture that are missing in the radio edit. The second tune is a rare remix on the B-side to Montell’s Somethin’ 4 Da Honeyz single, whilst the last cut appeared on the promo single for Baby and is produced by none other than CHOICE CUTS all time luminary D’Angelo.

3 tracks: hip hop soundtracks

I have found some of my favourite cuts through the years by trawling through stacks and stacks of soundtracks, and very occasionally uncovering a diamond in the rough. These joints rarely lead to much, as most of the times the crate-digging trail dead ends at a mediocre 12”, or a couple of promising guest appearances on a forgotten mixtape.

Lil’ 1/2 Dead - Hood Life [The Substitute OST]

Nonchalant - Lookin’ Good To Me [Half Baked OST]

Nas - One On One [Street Fighter OST]

The first cut exemplifies the hardships faced by the soundtrack crate-digger: most famous for sharing a cell with Snoop Dogg, Lil’ 1/2 Dead shows promise on this beat, with a respectable flow, killer hook and very smooth intro. He never did better this effort, but singlehandedly almost justified watching the movie it came from. Almost. The second tune proved to be a gateway track: Nonchalant’s album is straight fire, with a couple of joints that are rawer than one featured above. The third cut is classic early Nas, and his final verse is yet another reaffirming display of ghetto braggadocio and introspection, a characteristic that continues to define him today.

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3 tracks: rare groove, soul & funk

Trawling through old funk, soul and rare groove records is a time consuming and demanding mission: more often than not, after hours of listening to strained falsettos and improbable breakdowns, the results do not justify the commitment. The digital crate digger has an easier task - the internet is an invaluable commodity, especially if, like this blog, the starting position tends to almost always orbit around hip hop.

The Gap Band – Yearning For Your Love

The Sylvers – We Can Make It We Try

Steve Parks – Movin’ In The Right Direction

Both Madlib (Madvillainry) and Digable Planets (Reachin…) have chopped these records up extensively, but out of the three, it is L.E.S’ use of the first cut on Life’s A Bitch that stands out. The result is the dopest track on the dopest rap album of all time, a stonewall classic beat that stays true to the original and simultaneously sounds fresh and new. Originally released in 1980 on the very successful, but very bland The Gap Band III album, it is the one track off the LP that is worth multiple listens. The second joint is from the distinctly average The Sylvers II (1973), whilst the mysterious Steve Parks only released one record, also titled Movin’ In The Right Direction, in 1981. From all three albums, the tracks above are the only ones I’d listen to repeatedly, and herein lies the question of commitment: does rare groove justify the hours of crate digging and archiving that is necessary to unearth these diamonds in the rough? Perhaps, perhaps not…

3 tracks: diggin in the crates

On paper, D.I.T.C. are hip hop’s most impressive super-group: the crew could count on the skills of A.G, DJ Premier, and Big Pun, 3 boombastic producers in Showbiz, Diamond D and Buckwild, 3 razor-tongued ryhmesmiths in Big L, O.C. and Fat Joe, and one multitalented brother in Lord Finesse. For such a stellar line-up, it was perhaps inevitable that their respective individual solo efforts consistently outshone their releases as a group.

Lord Finesse - Hip 2 Da Game

Diamond D - When It Pours It Rains

Showbiz & A.G - Next Level (DJ Premier Remix)

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Lord Finesse is one of my favourite characters in the rap game. Although he may not be as lyrically flamboyant as some of his other stablemates, his flow and humour on the mic make up for it tenfold. He is also an incredible freestyler, playing the role of mentor and verbal sparring partner to a young Big L as the late rapper honed his style. The cadence and rhythm to L’s debut is evocative of Lord Finesse skills, substituting sharp, witty battle lines with hood life introspection. Check the clip below for some super chilled rapping and a glimpse at a young Big L. Although not technically a freestyle (most lines are bitten from his LP), what strikes me hardest is the complete lack of any misplaced macho, gangsta posturing in Lord Finesse’s persona - a breath of fresh air if compared to the hip hop on rotation on MTV today. Lord Finesse’s rhyme structures and battle lines aren’t just a product of his imagination, but also testament to the hours, days and month spent freestyling on the street and rhyming in the studio. His honesty and humbleness is just great to see, so far removed from the ego and mistaken delusions of grandeur found in the industry today.

The second cut is a rare Diamond D joint from this vinyl only Rawkus release: part of it can be heard on Soundbombing II, however it’s best appreciated in its entirety. The third track is a stonewall classic, possibly one of the best beats Premo has produced in his illustrious career.

3 tracks: blue note

Blue Note is one of the great record labels, boasting a long list of unforgettable and influential releases and an equally impressive roster, one which if perused alphabetically reads like a ‘Who’s who’ of eminent postwar jazz artists. Founded in 1939, its name is derived from the musical description of playing a note at a slightly lower pitch than the major scale, common in jazz as a means to a more expressive and emotive way of interpreting a piece of music. The label’s legacy extends beyond jazz, though: some of the biggest hip hop heavyweights, from Pete Rock to J Dilla, Questlove to Madlib, have reinterpreted a small part of the label’s bountiful output in an effort to reintroduce jazz music to a younger audience.

Grant Green - Idle Moments

Herbie Hancock - Maiden Voyage

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - Moanin

The interspersed silence in jazz is as important as the notes being struck, and the resulting freedom obtained is simultaneously a musician’s dream and nightmare… where do I go from now? The three cuts above are choice examples of what happens when the musicians in question relish the challenge. To me, jazz is synonymous with long walks, train rides, ferry crossings - journeys. The sense of the unknown, but of the rushing excitement of diving head first into it, is imbued in these three tracks, in the musical notes and the silences that surround them.

3 tracks: house freshness

I love house music, it is in the only genre that consistently rewards my faith in the current music industry. Without it, I’d be stuck somewhere between 1974 and 1999, in some sort of degenerative, self-satisfied loop. House is in a very exciting and healthy place right now, with new artists, sub-genres and, most importantly, impressive production, springing up left right and centre. I can do with house what I can’t do with 2step, jazz or hip hop - look forward to new releases and live shows instead of trawling through endless back catalogues and inside-sleeve booklets.

Andy Hart - Keep On

Jamie Woon - In The Night Air (Solomun Version)

Behling - Without You

These are my choice house cuts of the past 8 months or so. A nice mix between slow, deep, and disco house. Very fresh indeed.