To celebrate the 25th Anniversary of his pivotal album, Confessions Of A Selector, producer Tim Love Lee recently released his new compilation album, Confessions Of The 36th Best Trip Hop Producer Of All Time, via Tummy Touch.
Released in 1997, Confessions Of A Selector was described by FACT Magazine as the 36th best Trip Hop album of all time. The new album – Confessions Of The 36th Best Trip Hop Producer Of All Time – comprises B-sides and bonus tracks from back in the day. Along with the compilation, Tummy Touch has re-issued Disco Inserts Volume One, which was originally released as a white label in 1995 via Peace Feast Records.
Along with hosting radio shows on Kiss FM, KEXP-FM, NYC’s East Village Radio, and BBC’s Radio 6 Music, Lee has released six albums, compilations, dozens of singles, and three mixed albums.
Encompassing a dozen tracks, Confessions Of The 36th Best Trip Hop Producer Of All Time begins with “Big Love Hunter,” opening on swirling, jangly tones rolling into a funky rhythm topped by chill washes of cool trip-hop.
Highlights include “Mambo A Go Go,” flavored with retro ‘60s vibes, hints of Latin savors, and occasional touches of surf-rock. Skiffing guitars ride a Latin funk rhythm, low-slung and dripping with oozing symphonic inflections.
“Starplay 69” samples “Fly Me to the Moon,” first recorded by Kaye Ballard and made popular by Peggy Lee and Frank Sinatra. A dazzling trumpet infuses the tune with plush textures as the syncopated rhythm juxtaposes a funk-laced beat.
“Boom Boom Bikini” blends a popping bassline with a crisp percussive cadence, forming a bouncy jazz tune full of percolating tones. While “Touch It” features a deep, rumbling rhythm made up of syncopated funky percussion crowned by industrial trip-hop sonic textures.
The final track, “First Base Bossa” travels on chiming tones riding a tasty, pulsating bossa nova bassline. The feel and flow of the tune are sensuously alluring and slightly discordant, imbuing the song with far-flung aromas.
Downtempo yet thick with swanky harmonic motion, Confessions Of The 36th Best Trip Hop Producer Of All Time hits the sweet spot.
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