YESTERDAY'S NEW QUINTETAngles Without Edges Record label: Stones Throw Format: 2xLP/CD Release date: 18 September 2001 I haven't heard a sample-based album this intriguing since DJ Shadow's Endtroducing… Madlib's track record was already impressive as a producer through his work with Lootpack and his own Quasimodo project. And yet, it seems that his latest audio endeavor (the most complex and demanding of all of his work) is where he is most prolific. As Yesterday's New Quintet, Madlib displays his jazz alter ego, hearkening back to the days of original rare groove, lost takes of funky sessions, and today's hip-hop sampling standards from that era. It is through this project that his dazzling abilities as an arranger are revealed. The authenticity of the compositions is mind-blowing: this sounds like it could've been released on Blue Note or Prestige. Play "Uno Esta," "Hot Water," or his covers of Ramsey Lewis' "Sun Goddess" and Weather Report's "Palladium" for an introduction to the trail that Madlib continues to blaze. An absolutely fabulous album. {macedonia}
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