taking sides, the abstract beatz edition: MOWAX vs. NINJA TUNE

I dunno, as phenomena they're both irritating somehow. Musical output very inconsistent. But both labels could come with the goods at times. With Mo'Wax for instance, the first Headz compilation, which is nice head-nodding music in positive stoned-is-the-way-I-sit-on-the- couch kinda way. Added bonus of DJ Shadow's good stuff. Minus: Lavelle himself, the flippin' obsession with old skool (yeah, I like Star Wars, Adidas and Schoolly D too, so bloody what!) Ninja Tune: Dj Food basically. Recipe for Disaster is at times sublime. And there's a cool remix collection with has a neat mega-mix. Minus: too much average stuff and boring live shows bordering on well...muso-dom for chinstrokers turntable-style. So in the end a tie ;)

Here I am, Ethan, and you pegged me. Ninja Tune it is. But I've never been anywhere near their jock. I thought the last box set was great, but the individual albums I've heard (and there are not many)are hit and miss. Never terrible, though. At worst they are pleasant. Both labels aim low, just wanting to make nice background music (the excellent DJ Shadow and godawful UNKLE excepted) and doing a good job of it.

Ninja Tune has Amon Tobin. That counts for a lot with me.

the best thing about the terminally dull mo'wax label is the fact that at least it's not the even duller ninja tune label.

there is one good record on mo'wax though. the Sukia album, but then that was licensed from somewhere else.

A neck and neck bore-race until Mo'Wax licensed DJ Assault's album.

shit yeh. i forgot all about the dj assault record.

so thats 2 good records on mo'wax. but both licensed from other labels though

i'm in an internet cafe at the moment and they're playing rob d's clubbed to death. which reminds me that the peshay remix of this is very good. god, thats 3 mo'wax records now. people are going to think i'm some sort of trip hop dude now. this is so embarrassing...

why is everyone pretending they don't love the dj shadow album?

Because I've listened to it less than 10 times, ever? Just for you I'll go put it on right now. We'll see.

Not listened to DJ Shadow since '97 - when it came out I pretended to love it and gradually realised I didn't. It was my first "wow, the critics can be wrong about music that *isn't* indie, too" moment, or something like that.

Just goes to show you how much I know, I had no idea DJ Shadow had anything to do with this thread. I love Endtroducing to death, it's easily one of my very favorite records. The UNKLE record's pretty decent too.

i propose a special weekend subthread - 'THAT UNKLE RECORD: SEARCH AND DESTROY'. let me begin by stating that the kool g rap song is fucking amazing. work from there.

also let me state this question will likely be ignored.

Sold it so long ago I can't remember. I do recall the Kool G being OK, not great. I liked one of the instrumentals, it may have been "The Unkle Theme," the one with the circular guitar sample. Nothing earth shattering, but it had a good feel to it.

Destroy that terrible Thom Yorke thing, also the Verve track. Those were fucking awful.

dude, the verve song is good. not as great as that big verve single that i can't remember the name of, but good. i've heard it performed live as an instrumental and shadow drops in all these boston/chicago/ 70s-rock-band guitar chords and it's awesome.

the thom yorke one isn't awful either, at least as good as 90% of the radiohead i've heard and a little more to the point. the 'jacob's ladder' sample works too. oh god, i'm talking about unkle.

Okay, Ethan, what are you going to destroy?

It would bother me a whole lot more, Ethan, if the sample you're referring to was from a Rush song.

my songs to destroy are the obvious ones: the mike d song, the unkle theme (i love the sample that's like 'we had too much equipment, too many men, and little by little we went insane'. went insane = MADE A SPOTTY RECORD), that long-titled one that's the game about breaking balls, and, lord help me, fucking 'chaos'. all those are terrible. the rest of the record is near perfect.

in formal defense of the kool g. rap song, i'd like say that after hearing marley marl toss off some of his worst work on the man, i'm just happy to hear him finally get a good beat to go on. not to lose any cred, but i'm all up on the premier mix of his new single for the same reason, the man deserves to rhyme over better than than a slowed-down biz markie b-side. fuck you, marley marl, but damn, 'it's a demo' was fly.

and hey, and it might be rush. you know that one that's like 'LIVING ON THE LIGHTED STAGE, THE ROACHES, NEON (something...wheels?) BLAH BLAH BLAH GILDED CAGE!!!!'? it wasn't from that. but it doesn't sound like that.

URGENT UPDATE: kool g. still hot, rest of album still shaky.

i actually want to see people break down and assess the pre-gorillaz (all music being divided into epochal pre- and post-gorillaz factions) blunted beatzzz combo that is UNKLE. i mean, it's all like the soundtrack to a 2003 dawson's creek episode, ain't it? YOU BE THE JUDGE.