Rob Swift - The Ablist
MusicMash Rating: not rated yet
Pitchfork Media Rating: 7.6
Rob Swift's one of four turntable wizards in the awesome DJ collective
X-ecutioners. And on his sophomore solo outing, The Ablist, he
proves that even on his own, he's got mad skillz. Dramatically more
upbeat than the X-ecutioners' 1997 debut, X-pressions, and 100%
more vocal-oriented, The Ablist is, in essence, a hip-hop record.
And not just everyday Billboard 200-style hip-hop. No, people, say goodbye to
the scary loops of RZA and his infinite gang of Wu-Tang Warriors, the played-out
"ugh!" of Master P, and the sad, shambling mockery of sound known as 2Pac's
posthumous "The Way It Is". This is solid, good-time rap that's more fun to
listen to than an old Aristocrat-label blues 78.
The thing about The Ablist is that it's diverse and incredibly fast
moving-- the album's already half over by the time you realize you've
completely caught the groove. Diverse? Yeah, I mean, the record's got
everything. You've got the soulful keyboard funk of "Fusion Beats", the
unbelievably kickin' "Modern Day Music", the swank R&B of "Turntablist
Anthem", the DJ Shadow-style beats and fucked-up piano...
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