2001 :: buy this record
If we want to clearly put it, Tacteel has delivered us with this EP what no sensible person could have even dared expecting from hip-hop à la French : an instrumentals series, abstract without being abstruse, fundamentally hip-hop but not too attached to the past, reachable and still far from disposable. Butter for the Fat comes up to the expectations after "Selective Approach", as it is not just a pile of clones; even if we can consider the latter as the only hit in the EP, the other tracks are all the more enjoyable at long length. If we had to choose two words which would sum up this work of art, these would be "consistency" (as the EP is inscribed in one atmosphere, and follows one main thread), and "equilibrium" (each track has its own complexion, and spans jazz, electronic, funk or rock music without sounding squawking or overdone).
Supported by a strong hip-hop culture, although devoid of its stiffness, Tacteel has only kept the inventiveness and the informality of rap, as well as the powerful sampling and the sharp scratching. Therefore, the short spoken parts (the voice that invites you to listen to Mozart on "Selective Approach" and "If every Action has its opposite reaction, I wanna see the opposite of wack" on Wait A Minute) are to be considered as hints of the DJ’s reasoning. This efficiency and parsimony surfaces too in the turntablism parts, when DJ Shone from the Audiomicid Crew joins the party on 'EFR part 2', or when Tacteel blends the "Whore Monger" theme of the Non-Prophets to a scratching set.
Neither the title, nor the sleeve or the tracks is too exuberant, sluttish or quickly addictive, but everything is well done. So here it is, the instrumental French hip hop, far enough from some DJ Cam all-purpose composition when he tries to find credibility with some dumb Afu-Ra work, and detached from all French hip-hop heads who sound like DJ Premier underlings when trying to use jazz loops. Tacteel has managed to arouse our longing for his future works; whether you are slim or fat, you can eat, and eat up this Butter for the Fat, and even if you’re eating in, you’ll have plenty enough to take sustenance of it, without risking too much cholesterol.
Translated by Gnusball