s w e e t b e a t s
august.31.2003 - #1190
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artist : Express Rising
album : Express Rising
year : 2003
label : Memphix
genre : Lo-Fi
catalogue : cd-664
quality : CD 192k HQ True Stereo
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01.Neighborhood 04:31
02.Ithaca Summer 03:14
03.Invented Bird 01:05
04.Comfortable with Failure 04:39
05.Dead Mall 03:49
06.Cedar Chest 02:25
07.Keys to Be 05:42
08.Capsize 05:05
09.Nosebleed at the Henze 01:58
10.Neighborhood (Gentrified) 04:43
11.Chalkies 02:46
12.Ice Stopped 03:30
13.Cardinal, How Fly 02:30
13 tracks | 45:57 mins | 63,3 MB
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Cloaked in limited-edition vinyl and record-crate reverence, the
Memphix Records mystique has been accruing an underground entourage
of funk aficionados for the past four years. Centered in Memphis,
Tennessee, this tight-lipped DJ collective exists in an eternal
time lag, trapped between the day a forgotten 45 slipped into the
sleeve of obscurity and the moment they pray to pull it back out.
Like paleontologists sifting through the Sahara, their quest to
uncover historyÆs neglected nexus between the now and the then is
never-ending and largely reliant on a combination of resiliency and
dumb luck, only instead of sand dunes, these loop diggas dig
through dusty boxes, soulful bounties buried unbeknownst in
basements across the country. 45 RPM marks the spot.
Express RisingÆs basic modus operandi consists of graceful,
iridescent organ loops and extended drum breaks, the latter
possibly lifted from his vast collection of 45Æs. Comparisons to DJ
Shadow are unavoidable, but while DavisÆ songs often spiral out of
control, Carfagna prefers to let the needle glide unfettered along
the groove. Quaaludal tangents provide flavor, but never at the
expense of mood. At their blandest, the beats are soporific, but at
their best, they can be absolutely hypnotizing.
Much of Express Rising rings with melancholy, or at the very least,
nostalgia. To say Carfagna is a student of the game is an
understatement, and his lonesome piano on ôKeys to Beö and languid
procession on ôCapsizeö reveal a man lost in admiration of those
whoÆve come before. One of the wonders of instrumental hip hop is
its ability to usurp machismoÆs methodology and turn it into a
venue for sensitivity and reflection. In that vein, portions of
Express Rising are downright overwhelming. ôCardinal, Fly How?ö is
one such occasion.
--dustedmagazine.com
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s w e e t b e a t s
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greetings to kw, dps, sour, diss, dh, ms, tr & ube
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