instrumental versions of hip-hop albums (do not read this if you are a Automator-hata)

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I'm considering acquisition of Deltron 3030 : The Instrumentals, Cannibal Oxtrumentals & maybe RZA's Ghost Dog soundtrack (the jap import one). Worthwhile? I'm one of those lazy shoegaze soundscape postrock people; but nobody seems to bury the vocals in the mix (which would be missing the point etc), thus recourse to instrumental versions. Search & destroy, anyone?

― Ess Kay, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Deltron 3030 Instrumentals is worth it.Try and find the Dr.Octagon Instrumentalyst record too.

― dek1, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Do you have the Dr. Octagon instrumentals? The RZA Ghost Dog soundtrack is very worthwhile.

― J Blount, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Is this because trip hop died or.......

― Honda, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Instrumentalyst is worth it for "Moosebumps" alone. Deltron 3030 I didn't like as much, though it does have some bonus remix stuff as an incentive.

― Nate Patrin, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I wish I would have bought Oxtrumentals instead of The Cold Vein. I'm finally starting to really like The Cold Vein, but the rapping is such a turn off. I guess I don't really like most of the MCs on Def Jux.. it just isn't my thing. That said.. Aesop Rock and El-P were chilling/doing a show at the hip hop record store down the street from my apartment this past weekend.. I still wish I would have gone.

― Bobby D. Gray, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Is this because trip hop died or....... a fairly large cultural chasm that I'm attempting to bridge.
. . . er, ignore the Massive Attack box set in the corner.

― Ess Kay, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I absolutely detest Company Flow... but their one redeeming release is an instrumentals rekkid called "Johnny From The Hospitul Vol. 1" which actually makes a decent standalone piece. (hmmm, maybe it's because there are no vocals on it?). There's also instrumentals by DJ Vadim for "USSR" which is decent.

If you're lookin' for hip hop sans vocals, I'd recommend those OM records "Deep Concentration" compilations. There are three of them, and they get bigger and more interesting as they come along (IMHO).

Otherwise, I'd stick to the Hip-hop/DJ cutout bins and secure the individual instrumentals straight from the 12"ers themselves... you have more choice and more fun that way. Most hip hop singles have a "clean" and/or "street" and/or "instrumental" and/or "a capella" mix on each side. There's too too many to recommend *and* destroy.

― Brian MacDonald, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i've heard the instrumental lps for most of the first wave Wu solos, and all but the first of outkast's lps. ATLiens and Return the 36 Chambers are the only ones that really stand well on their own. They're pretty tough to track down tho. i had the mp3s of a like best of the roots instrumentals that worked well as a groovy jazz chillout. by and large, though, the inst lps end up being superdull loops missing the vocal variation

― bc, Tuesday, 21 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

No knock against the Beasties, but I think a completely instrumental version of Paul's Boutique would be even cooler than the original.

― Nate Patrin, Wednesday, 22 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The Japanese version of the Ghost Dog soundtrack is superb, yes (but you do need the general release one too). I think a best of the RZA without any vocals could be a spectacularly great album.

― Martin Skidmore, Wednesday, 22 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Let me plump for RZA's rapping: I like it.

― Leee, Thursday, 23 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

why don't people want instrumental versions of rock albums? and r+b? indie? etc.

― Josh, Thursday, 23 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Josh has a good point, was thinking along similar lines myself. Some initial (lack of) thoughts :

1. Vocals tend to be placed at the front of the mix in hip-hop; there's a bit more variation rock/indie/etc.
2. Perhaps it's something to do with the rhythmic use of vocals? Is rhythm harder to escape/ignore than (whatever yr alternative is)? Is "voice-as-instrument" closer or further to hip-hop than it is to other genres?
3. Rise of the producer in hip-hop (El-P, Automator to use schmundie/schmindie examples) - sort of like "solo" album?
4. What albums would you like to hear instrumental versions of?

― Ess Kay, Thursday, 23 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Re: Josh's question

I believe it's how the music is constructed.. hip hop is very modular. You can interchange different elements rather easily, seeing as they mostly come from different sources, and sound natural on their own. Elements of rock and other more melodic musics seem to be very integrated. They compliment eachother, and without the other elements they seem to lack something. That's my preliminary take, at least.

― Bobby D. Gray, Thursday, 23 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm not sure I understand, Bobby. Take a typical rock song, without the vocals. I don't think any more is missing from what's left than is missing from the typical rap instrumental - because the same sort of thing is left, a beat, some bass, maybe guitars or synths etc.

― Josh, Monday, 27 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Because up until recently anyway the idea of singing NEW lyrics over a rock instrumental was pretty rare whereas people have been free- styling over hiphop instrumentals since practically its inception. It's simply the conventions of the genre which in this case probably has its origins in the Jamaican talk-over records of the 70s--this sort of audience participation (i.e. people getting on stage and singing new lyrics over already established tracks) never became a convention in the rock world.

― Alex in SF, Monday, 27 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

(insert pertinent comment re : bootlegging here)

― Ess Kay, Monday, 27 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

karaoke!

― Josh, Monday, 27 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

instrumentals = for sample & production hedz, no? thus sample & production cultcha produces them. also why the beach boys came out with their instrumental mix album.

― Sterling Clover, Tuesday, 28 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

right but we are talking about people who just listen to them!

― Josh, Tuesday, 28 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I don't know, Josh, I'd say there's more missing from the rock song sans vocals. For one thing, rap instrumentals are usually created first, without any idea of what the rap will eventually be, so maybe they sound more "whole" in instrumental versions. Actually part of it is just that a whole genre of instrumental hip-hop (trip-hop) conditioned people to the approach, so the beats & sounds approach seems complete.

― Mark, Tuesday, 28 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

post-rock

― Josh, Wednesday, 29 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

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