As I’ve done the write-ups for the honorable mentions and
the forthcoming Top 25 of 2012 list, I’ve noticed a trend of artists who have
expertly created replicas of older sounds and styles that fit so well with
their influences that I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that they were
reissues of shelved albums from decades earlier. Dave Dub’s Stones Throw debut The Treatment is one of these
albums. Dave Dub and producer Tape
Mastah Steph have made an album that sounds like it could be a collection of
songs meant for never-issued 12” singles on Fondle ‘Em Records, or a bunch of
outtakes from the first Soundbombing
record. It was recorded entirely with an
SP1200 and an Ensonic EPS, which is a major factor in their expert replication
of the late 90’s underground New York hip hop sound, with its dark, cavernous,
sample heavy beats and its lyricism-over-everything rhymes. “Upside Down Lineage” in particular is
heavily reminiscent of Company Flow’s first album, as are the three
instrumental tracks (“Much Gratitude,” “Space Nigga,” and “The Day of Reckoning”). Like Menagerie’s album, Dave Dub struggles to
find his own identity amidst his throwback style, but I’m a sucker for the era
and style of hip hop that he’s aping, and it’s an extremely engrossing listen.
"As They Worship" is the best song on the record, but all of the songs except for the single don't seem to be on Youtube.
Dave Dub - "Superfly"
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