RZA – THE INSTRUMENTAL
EXPERIENCE (THINK DIFFERENTLY MUSIC)
This is a curious CD
that I discovered in clearance bin at Rough Trade. It is disc born of fanaticism and
dedication. There is no questioning the
talent of RZA only how much of the man’s mind (commercially not creatively)
went into putting together this collection.
Someone somewhere seems to be cashing in again. And that’s not necessarily the author.
RZA was always the
driving force behind the Wu-Tang Clan. Even if he wasn’t the most talented behind
the mic, he definitely was behind the scenes as he pieced together so many of
their tracks on both group and solo projects for the Wu. Indeed on the band’s debut he scored a
produced by, mixed by, arranged by and programmed by credit. It was multitask in wicked effect.
The album begins in
funny fashion with a selection of samples served up as eight minute first
track. Were these fucking cleared? Why do I care? However this is a track that should surely be
taped onto the end. I’m from indie rock
background and I will never for the life of me understand the mentality of
bling and swag, of taking glee in selling out and subsequently mugging it. Perhaps I’m too pampered.
Fortunately such
thoughts soon are wiped from my mind as soon I am recognising excerpts and
fragments from Liquid
Swords, Gravel
Pit all the way to the Underdog cartoon
show theme. In many ways this is just a
hip game of Name That
Tune.
With that the tracks
begin as an instrumental version of “Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber – Part II”
from Enter
The Wu-Tang opens proceedings.
Exhibiting fuzz and drive as it purrs and sails off are we supposed to
be doing karaoke over this? Regardless
you can hum to it with displays how effectively the musical construct is there
in the programming and orchestration.
From here the listener
is offered a full on education in the structure of the raw and dirty horror
show sounds of the Wu-Tang. As much as
this partly feels like something of a cash-in, equally for any students of the
game it offers opportunity to be used as a menu be it in calculating the
orchestration of the beats or just basically to spit over with fresh rhymes.
The selection spread
across the 22 tracks is predominantly from the Wu-Tang Clan catalogue as the
stripped down versions often reveal the genius simplicity in the beat sequence
and loops which stand out over the atmospherics and samples included (although
the environment inhabited on “Run” paints quite a picture).
When the record
reaches “Ice Cream” Eddie Murphy unwittingly makes an appearance as the track
cannot avoid retaining the ODB vocal hook, even though it is a Raekwon track,
further illustrating just how his verbal technique was his instrument.
There does feel an
explicit restriction of access to the entire Wu catalogue on display here as no
Method Man, GZA or Ol’ Dirty Bastard songs are represented. Or maybe rather than legal soup there was
just beef.
This isn’t a record,
its research.
Thesaurus moment:
manual.
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