Coldcut
More Beats and Pieces EP
[NinjaTune]
Rating: 8.5
"More Beats and Pieces" is a clear indication of what Coldcut is capable of
when they really get into it. The title track serves as a sequel to Coldcut's
original classic "Beats and Pieces," and they've sampled everything from
Flip Wilson comedy sketches to orchestration from Peter and the Wolf. It
works because the song completely alters course about every 15 seconds,
making itself one of the most interesting electronic tracks of the 1990s.
What about the five remixes? This is where it gets interesting. If I may
quote the liner notes, "The starting point for all mixes was a custom Coldcut
12" of which 30 copies only were produced. The 12" contained a broad selection
of beat matched loops and samples (like having a custom brakebeat LP), including
drum loops evolved from the Led Zeppelin brake used by Coldcut 10 years ago on
their original 'Beats and Pieces.'" What's even better are the artists remixing
this track; T-Power and Tortoise's John McEntire are among them. On top of all
that good stuff, us computer users have access to "More Beats and Pieces'"
completely fucked up video via Quicktime. Quite the bargain for $6.99.
-Ryan Schreiber