I interviewed Madlib recently, which is not the easiest thing to do since the guy isn't real talkative. Not that he's sullen or withdrawn, but it's plain that his favored mode of expression is via music. You could say this CD, an illuminating glimpse of the mad scientist's head music, is the equivalent of a 50 minute-long hang out session. The mix is the second of two discs recorded for release in Japan last year, and is dedicated to electric jazz. Beginning appropriately with Brian Auger's "Starting Again," the disc moves through an anonymous selection of fusion nuggets, with the occasional awkward transition smoothed out by bold song selection and bugged out vocoder drops. The CD does not come with a tracklist, but expect abstract jazz with plenty of the little quirks and heavy rhythms that Mr. Jackson loves to digitally purloin. Of the recognizable tracks, I liked Johnny Hammond's "Back to the Projects" and a version of "Baltimore Oriole" that sounds like YNQ in broken beat mode. The sound is also heavy on Brazilian flavor, with Azymuth popping up at least once, creating an airy feel that is far from hip hop headnod. Intense art from Manuel Ocampo and appropriated liner notes from free jazz collector Thurston Moore complete the package.

reviewed by monk