Blogarhythms

Did you order that digital-only album Saul Williams and put out a couple weeks ago? Did you know that beatmaker 100dBs of Blogarythms featured Hip-Hop duo 100dBs and Ryan O’Neil put out a fresh little mash-up EP for download last week? No? On both counts? Well, don’t sweat it chief, that’s why I’m here to make sure you stay on the ball.

While British rockers Radiohead received the lions-share of press, and racked up unprecedented sales for their internet release In Rainbows, Saul Williams embraced a similar philosophy, offering his newest LP The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust directly to fans via his website, giving them the opportunity to download it for free, or pay a $5.00 donation, to far-less fanfare. I haven’t heard how it’s fared sales-wise since its November 1st release, but I know I dig it, and more people probably need to hear it for themselves. Based on the Bowie-esque title, and the involvement of friend and tour-mate Trent Reznor, I assumed Niggy Tardust would be a departure for Saul, a Glam-Rock-influenced Rock-Opera concept-album. So, I was surprised to find that’s not exactly the case. Sure, it’s conceptual, as Saul’s songwriting has always been, but it’s not put together in a theatrical, narrative manner at all. I was also surprised by how much it sounds like a Nine Inch Nails record, and at the same time how that’s not too different from how Saul’s music has always sounded. This was both perplexing and oddly comforting when I discovered that longtime collaborators Thavius Beck and CX Kidtronik had a hand in the beatmaking process. With tracks like the Public Enemy-looping “Tr(n)igger” and the chopped-n-screwed electro-industrial crunk jam “DNA” supplying Saul’s patented incendiary social commentary and sacred-meets-profane poetic imagery, all for a low-low price, Niggy Tardust is a treat for fans, and a perfect introduction for newbies.

After supplying super-dusty, break and loop-based beats for Queens emcee Ryan O’Neil on The Adventures of the One Hand Bandit and the Slum Computer Wizard it might seem odd for New York-based DJ and producer 100dBs to base a project around the decidedly un-dusty work of IDM musician Aphex Twin. But it appears that at least part of 100dBs’ dopeness behind the boards stems from a genuine love of good music, and a willingness to put different elements together in new ways. Such bravery lead him to blend acapellas from Ultramagnetic MC’s, Nas, Q-Tip, O.C., Snoop Dogg, The Soulsonic Force, Peaches, Daft Punk, T.I., and Busta Rhymes over Richard D. James’ otherworldly synthetic soundscapes. I’ve mentioned before that I don’t often go in for mash-up projects, but this one is expertly executed, and the mixes breathe enough new life into familiar old tunes to warrant adding them to my daily playlist.

On “Poppa Large,” one of the tracks 100dBs mashes-up, Kool Keith compares a crowd’s reaction to him to that which would result from “Prince and Michael coming out with a big band.” That dream collaboration hasn’t happened, but I’m sure you’d be well-informed of if it ever did. As musical partnerships go, Saul Williams teaming up with Trent Reznor and Aphex Twin instrumentals backing a bunch of emcees may not be as auspicious, but they’re attention-worthy none-the-less.

-El Keter