archive : A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z sdtk comp
Cover Art 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

TODAY'S REVIEWS

DAILY NEWS

RATING KEY
10.0: Indispensable, classic
9.5-9.9: Spectacular
9.0-9.4: Amazing
8.5-8.9: Exceptional; will likely rank among writer's top ten albums of the year
8.0-8.4: Very good
7.5-7.9: Above average; enjoyable
7.0-7.4: Not brilliant, but nice enough
6.0-6.9: Has its moments, but isn't strong
5.0-5.9: Mediocre; not good, but not awful
4.0-4.9: Just below average; bad outweighs good by just a little bit
3.0-3.9: Definitely below average, but a few redeeming qualities
2.0-2.9: Heard worse, but still pretty bad
1.0-1.9: Awful; not a single pleasant track
0.0-0.9: Breaks new ground for terrible
OTHER RECENT REVIEWS

All material is copyright
2001, Pitchforkmedia.com.