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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best UK Hip Hop album I've ever heard!, 1 May 2003
Unless you're into buying vinyls, you're unlikely to have heard of DJ Format. In the past 4 years, Format has had profound success in the UK Hip Hop Scene with the few singles he's released, but as with most UK DJ's, it's been an uphill struggle. His first major track 'Vinyl Overdose' on the compilation 'Return of the DJ vol.2' swiftly led him to talks with MoWax records, but to no avail, before touring with jurassic 5...as their driver! Thankfully his true potential was recognised with his single 'English Lesson' (Inspired by Cut Chemists' 'Lesson 6') and his 'ill Culninary Behaviour' single, which paved the way for an album deal. The album thankfully contains both of these singles, as well as a more recent single release 'We know something' with guest vocals provided by J5's Charlie 2na and Akil - a surefire winner from the start. Despite his obvious contacts, don't assume that this album is all about cashing in favours from friends. This album is a masterpiece in more ways than one. Format aspires to the sounds of the early 90's, old school hip hop scene - the fresh, pre-gangster rap sounds that de la soul, Main source and Tribe called quest produced, and the samples and breaks that have made the likes of J5 and Ugly Duckling so popular. But it is his choice in collaborators that really brings the tracks to life. With the highly addictive vocals of the canadian MC 'Abdominal' in 3 of the tracks, and the influential style and vocals of the Bristol-bourne 'Aspects' amongst others, each track is truely unique in its own right. One might be forgiven in assuming that so many collaborations in one album could provide a rather clinical, 'rent-an-MC-for-a-day' sound that is so often the case. In formats case this couldn't be further from the truth. You can instantly tell that Format works well with all his guests and you get the impression that his choice of samples and breaks are all influenced by the collaborator. This, and the way the tracks seem to easily blend together, despite their uniqueness, provides for an absolute masterpiece of an album. Whether you like HipHop, funk, or old school beats'n'rhymes, 'Music for the Mature B-Boy' is a winner, and should surely be one of the best albums of the year.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
UK Hip Hop at its best, 29 Oct 2003
Coming in at a slender, listenable 45 minutes, Music for the Mature B-Boy is an amazing collection of old school funky hip hop songs.
The MC who gets the most of a work out is an MC called Abdominal, who guests on three out of the ten songs - ten not including the obligatory hip hop intro.
Abdominal (who I'd never heard of) is an amazing MC who reminds me of the Day-Glo MCs of the late 80's and early 90's, dropping light-hearted, lucid rhymes.
Akil and Chali 2na from Jurassic 5 also get a workout on the album's single We Know Something You Don't Know; another excellent little song, but that's hardly surprising given the guest vocalists.
Fatski guests on the song B-Boy Code Part. 2 a song that starts with his vocals and some scratched beats before kicking into a gem of a bassline. I'd never heard of Fatski before; he's a great MC but not as charismatic as Abdominal or the Jurassic 5 cats.
The other guest on the album is Aspects, another guy that I'd never heard of (I think I'm losing my touch because this whole CD came out of left field), but one that I'm going to keep an eye out for.
The rest of the songs are instrumentals, four in total; these are all amazing. Two of the instrumentals are up-tempo little numbers, and the other two are down-tempo.
Going with the main feel of the album, the instrumental tracks are situated comfortably in the realm of funk. Of the four songs the slower ones are the best, relying not only on energy to get by, but rather on amazingly crafted break beats and cool basslines.
This is album is amazing and would i recomned it to anyone in to hip hop, Buy It Now!!!!
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cooking up beats and rhymes..., 5 May 2006
This album is great fun from beginning to end. A lighthearted beat infused concoction this album is always entertaining and never dull. Even the cheesy cookery analogy doesn't tire and adds a bizarre kind of depth to this funky and upbeat album.
The guest vocalists add a dash of pedigree to the catchy tunes and while it is not going to be heralded as groundbreaking it is a cracking album that will never fail to add cheer to your day.
There are no low points with this record and I would advise it as a fail safe record for those people wishing to dabble in the murky waters of the hip hop world. I can guarantee you will not disappointed!
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