Albums

Six years, no less, have spent between Endtroducing… and The Private Press. And they were more than sufficient to move from one era to the next. Now that the trip hop fad is over, and that DJ Shadow's rap roots are fully recognized - thanks to the multiples releases and rereleases of his Quannum collective, and to the arrival of a new generation of indie rappers influenced by him, at least indirectly - it was time to confirm the excellence of Endtroducing… with a brand new album.

As years and singles followed one another, TekiLatex, Tido Berman and Cuizinier have kept reminding us what being surprised feels like. Their first album, which they entitled the Magritte way, is no exception to their rule. Ceci n’est pas un Disque (This is not a record) is not just about putting together what has already been done, it stands out by the new evolution in the sound and the way the trio works.

Proofs of DJ Tacteel’s potential are accumulating steadily. After being a member of Paris-based hip hop crew ATK, Tacteel took part to the long awaited Projet Chaos (Chaos Project), for which he conceived "Selective Approach", one of the very best (and probably the most lasting) tracks of this VA. For the end of 2001, he chose to release his debut EP, Butter for the Fat, including this instrumental track and seven others, heralding a number of other projects to come.

Nature doesn’t like empty spaces. The Year 2000 is finishing, Company Flow have barely announced their retirement as a group, and you already feel the urge to find somebody worthy of relaying the mythical New-Yorkers who brought about the new era of hip-hop. Hip-hop’s very own (hyper)specialists did not need much time to find the prodigal sibling. Supported by a terrifying (and terrific) contorted piano, a style broken down into movements, and a cranky voice, the track "Acts of Tragedy" (previously released on an eponymous single) allowed Tes to quickly establish himself as the new icon of underground (and complicated) hip-hop.

The story of the Dilated Peoples demonstrates that the underground can be a way to redemption, sometimes. Three years after they started in 1992, Babu (DJ), Rakaa Iriscience (MC) and Evidence (producer and MC) realized that they wouldn't get a place in hip-hop's highest spheres, when Epic decided to close its subsidiary, Immortal Records, with which they had a contract. Consequently, Imagery, Battle Hymns & Political Poetry, their first album, wouldn't be released. This setback, however, wouldn't be definitive.