Product Description

Sage Francis' producer steps out with his 3rd solo CD, planting his big flag firmly into Shadow/RJD2 territory w/this exquisite rendering of his vision. Subtle & fully formed, Joey lays the tempo down amidst lush samplings in this follow up.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #68293 in Music
• Released on: 2007-04-24
• Number of discs: 1

Review
The long-awaited sequel to 2003's killer 'Reverse Discourse', 'Diverse Recourse' sees producer extraordinaire Joe Beats again coming up with a devastatingly creative selection of instrumental hip-hop joints this time for Canadian label Bully. You might know Beats a bit better as one half of Lex-signed hip-hop crew Non-Prophets (along with Sage Francis) but those of us in the know are only too aware that his best work is the instrumentals. Last year saw him tangling with the wacky world of indie (previously a hip-hop no go area) on his 'Indie Rock Blues' album, which showed he wasn't afraid to take risks, yet this record sees him going back to his comfort zone and is simply good quality classic hiphop instrumentals. It's refreshing to hear someone doing something so purist at a time when so many producers are trying desperately to turn their hand to something they can't quite handle. DJ Shadow for instance flirted with so many styles on his last album that we lost interest before it had even started, and RJD2 (possibly Beats' closest peer) has gone and made a folk-pop album for XL, Joe Beats however knows what he's good at and excels at it. Taking meaty drum loops and jangling funk and soul samples we have a mindblowing mix of instrumentals that do much to counter the opinion that an instrumental is merely hip-hop minus the raps. These are written like this for a reason, and the absence of an emcee merely serves to accentuate Beats' production skills. The album opens with 'Don't Front.' one of the strongest tracks on offer here and you're instantly made aware of what the producer can do - thick, crumbling drum breaks offset by wah-wah guitar and distant strings. This is music that re-assures you that the world of instrumental hip-hop can rise once more, and where better to do that than with Bully records? Recommended --Boomkat