U.S.S.R.: The Art of Listening

by

DJ Vadim

Edit

Vadim a russian producer has served out his latest full lenght album, dark mysterious and very chilled. This is not your average hip hop produced album, it encompasses many influences from classical, funk, reggae, indian all combined with hard hitting drums. He still believes in the art of sampling, not to use so much as loops but in a unique fashion so as to almost always keep you guessing the next bar. his artillery is reinforced with the names of, Gift of Gab, Motion Man, Phi-Life Cypher, Yara Bravo, Slug, Task Force, Plus One, and many more.

if you liked the down-tempo style trip hop of Dj Shadow showcased on Endtroducing then this is a definate must for you.

Do not be narrow minded and think good hip hop can only come from america, it has speard worldwide, and Vadim is producing sounds like a symphony. check it out u won't be disspointed

I had a chance to see Vadim with Blurum 13 and DJ 1st rate on 'the art of listening' tour. Trust me when I say that their performance just cannot be transposed onto a disk. Still, this album has redeeming qualities. Vadim's style of blending hip-hop with abstract jazz fused with beats is unique and unparalleled. It's no wonder he's a star of the ninja tune label, along with other well deserving artists (none of which really sound alike except in the most rudimentary sense of being abstract, slightly twisted, hip-hopesque, and heavily beat oriented in the ninja tune style... His music which, at first, sounds very simple and minimal is layered, introspective, and very intelligent upon further examination. This is especially illustrated with his compositions that involve the fusion of beats with stolid, yet subtly emotional, Russianesque soundscapes (as with conquest of the irrational). He hints at this in tracks like 'Ghetto Rebels', but inexplicably leaves the compositions listless and dissapointingly unfullfilled. This album is warm, pleasant, and subtly varied with diverse styles musically and lyrically. Yet it seems somewhat lacking in the moody emotion he is capable of producing. Still, a fair/good effort. Summary- Disk good, live better.