Galt MacDermot
Up
from the Basement
(Kilmarnock)
MacDermot's work has long been a mainstay for hip hop producers looking for loops with an edge, and this new compilation of his unreleased works should keep the sample diggers busy for a few. Taken from a series of archived alternate takes, unreleased soundtrack songs and even dusty acetates, Up from the Basement is jam-packed with funkdafied jazz selections. Short acetate songs ("Woe is Me," "And He Will Not Come Again") set off each side, cracklin' with neglect but bursting with flavor. Some of the most interesting selections, like "Rhinoceros" and the blues-tinged "Prison Life," were meant for soundtracks that never came out. MacDermot also offers some reworkings of his classics, such as a version of "Ripped Open by Metal Explosions" done with drummer Idris Muhammad and an alternate take of his classic "Let the Sunshine In" from the HAIR soundtrack. Whether you're new to MacDermot or a collector of his wares, Up from the Basement won't disappoint.
Oliver Wang
from URB Nov. 2000