Delicious Vinyl finally gets around to re-releasing the instrumental version of this album. I'm not mad, I'm just saying it's about time. I once read an interview with J-Swift (producer of Bizarre Ride II) where he mentioned that Pete Rock had asked him how he got such an ill bass sound on the track "4 Better or Worse?" He explained that he had played a real Rhodes for the bass. Next thing you know every hip hop producer (including the Soul Brother #1) had a Rhodes in their arsenal (that's J-swift talking not me). If that's true, it would mean Swift's influence over 90's hip hop and R&B production (to which the Rhodes sound was a cornerstone), was tremendous. Either way I know his influence on me was huge, as his usage of Stanley Cowell's "Traveling Man" for "On the DL"; turned me into a straight Strata East fiend. Aside from being merely influential, this is one of the more warranted instrumental releases I've seen in a while. Swift's thickly layered beats were often overshadowed by the Pharcyde's vocal personalities, but the production was the real machine behind this album's success. Unfortunately neither Swift, nor the Pharcyde were able to recapture this type of chemistry on any of their subsequent releases, making this instrumental version that much more crucial. Everything is included except the interludes, the remix of "Soul Flower" (I think it was on a 12") and "Pack the Pipe." These Delicious Vinyl releases are unpredictable; no telling how long this will be around.

• music label: Delicious Vinyl

reviewed by Blu Jemz