Presently producing music at the startling rate of one track a year (and not even very long ones at that), Melbourne-based Van Bongo has traditionally been more interested in quietly absorbing the history of 20th century music, knowing that when the time is right, the influences found pleasing would burst forth as something way less than the sum of its parts. Nevermind. But at last, Van Bongo is gearing up - the records are dusted, the stylus is poised, and the hard drive is spinning.
Clip for Aug: De La Soul - Say No Go
This track changed all my perceptions of hip-hop and music in general. Early hip-hop just wasn't heard at all in Australia, at least in the mainstream, and most of what we heard in the mid-80's was based on stiff-sounding drum machine beats, hard for a kid raised on Aussie pub rock to relate to. Run DMC started to crack it open with their rock-based beats, the ferocity and funkiness of Public Enemy chipped it open some more, but the willingness of De La Soul to pillage 'classic hits and memories' to make tracks busted right open the world of hip-hop and hip-hop production to whole new audience.
Hearing a track that was well known to me (Hall & Oates' 'I Can't Go For That') being sliced and diced into something entirely new was revelatory, and hearing music that was so based on rhythm but with beats that swung had me convinced this was the new funk. Preconceptions that music worth listening to must be produced using 'instruments' were laid to waste.
This was also the track that introduced me to the fun of sample-spotting. It was the first hip-hop track I'd heard that had a sample in it that I knew, and it also contains the exact opposite - unknown loops I loved which were later recognised the first time I heard 'Crossword Puzzle' by Sly & The Family Stone. There's a special joy in both recognising a sample in a track and recognising a track as the source of a sample. Makes you feel all smart-like.
The other exciting aspect of late '80s hip-hop is how politically minded and socially charged it was. Can you think of anything in the world of '80s mainstream rock that was this relevant in content and wasn't totally clumsy?
