| A few years back, Chicago native Jel was chosen as one of Urb magazine's "Next 100," a list of the 100 musicians/Djs Urb editors and writers think will become the next big thing, or at least will become pretty well known. Well, it's now 2002, and Jel's time has finally come. He has been a critical darling for some time, but 10 Seconds should be the record to bring his music to the masses. Made with an SP-1200, the CD is a hip-hop instrumental score layered with sample upon sample, from standard boom-boom-kak beats to bluesy vocals to twangy strings and just about everything in between. The most important instrument in hip-hop's short future, the SP-1200 allows for only ten seconds of sampling. What can you do with ten seconds? The answer is, after listening to Jel's CD, a lot. Immediately taking me back to the first time I heard the Beastie Boys' sample-laden Paul's Boutique, Jel's record has a brilliant flow, a constantly addictive beat and fresh samples. This album is much more than someone grabbing a crate of records, sampling the best parts and clipping the pieces together. Rather, it's a highly intelligent, flawlessly orchestrated time capsule, pulling sounds from all genres to create one unique sound. Yet another great addition to the impressive and ever-growing underground catalog at Mush Records. - San Francisco Gate |
2XLP/Out Of Print