Brainfreeze | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Mixtape by | ||||
Released | 1999 | |||
Recorded | 1998 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 52:11 | |||
Label | Sixty 7 | |||
Producer | DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist | |||
DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist chronology | ||||
|
Brainfreeze is a live DJ mix album by American producers DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist, released "sometime" in 1999. [2] The two tracks of the album are uninterrupted recordings from a live performance where they sampled hit funk, soul, rock and jazz singles from 45 rpm vinyl records. This type of recording was pioneered by the duo Double Dee and Steinski through their "Lessons" (the difference being that the "Lessons" cuts were meticulously edited together from snippets of audio tape, rather than performed live using turntables). [5]
Brainfreeze was recorded by DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist as a practice session for a show in February 1999 at the Future Primitive Soundsession in San Francisco, mixing funk and soul 45's. Initially 1000 copies were made and sold at the shows, and a further 1000 copies were made and distributed to local records stores in California and sold out very quickly. A cease-and-desist letter from 7-Eleven convenience stores—the whole artwork and styling was based on their logos and uniforms—meant that they stopped and moved on. The album was then bootlegged and it can now be found in popular record shops. [6]
DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist toured their Brainfreeze performance initially as part of Shadow's International Goodwill Tour in 1999, on January 18, 2000, they reunited to perform a farewell to the Brainfreeze shows at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles. [7] [8] This final show was later released on VHS as Freeze, and includes footage of rehearsals as well. [9]
This set was reenacted at the Mayan night club in Los Angeles on May 25, 2006, as part of a benefit concert for DJ Shadow's art director, Keith Tamashiro, in order to offset costs related to a brain aneurysm he suffered early in 2006.[ citation needed ]
Brainfreeze was followed up by Product Placement , an album of similar content and style.
While there was no tracklisting given except for some record shots in the inner sleeves, Michael "DOP" Lane put together listing of the tracks [6] and this has been adapted in reviews [10] and website listings. [11] While this has been repeatedly bootlegged, the main difference between the original pressing and the bootlegs are the quality of the sleeves and the CD (colors look washed out and not as sharp on the bootleg). [12] The original CD on the inner ring has ©1999 Sixty7 Recordings written in red on a clear background. The bootleg does not have a clear bit. [13] On the back of the CD is Disc Producers inc 2886/Brainfreeze ADC/CA. Some bootlegs have "Slurp CD 001" and a bar code written on them. [6]
The 45s used in the Brainfreeze mix are highly sought after by vinyl collectors, and the term "Brainfreeze" in online auctions often results in increased auction prices for these records.[ citation needed ] The songs have been collected on compilations called Slurped, [14] and Brainfreeze Breaks, [15] which feature the songs in unmixed form.
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [4] |
Stanton Swihart of AllMusic stated that "Brainfreeze transforms the mix tape into a genuine piece of musical art, a sampladelic, turntablist collage that may be the apotheosis of – or at least a turning point for – the genre." Describing the record as "an amazing display of spontaneous music-making", he concluded that "it is a dizzyingly brilliant, virtuoso work of two exceedingly fecund imaginations." [4] In Spin Will Hermes called Brainfreeze "inspired garage mechanics" and that the pair "get extra-busy just to showcase their micromanagement skills". [16] Reviewing the duo's 2001 follow-up album Product Placement, Rob Mitchum of Pitchfork described Brainfreeze as "much admired" and said that DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist had "sculpted a mixtape symphony that withstood repeated listens". [1]
Rufus C. Thomas, Jr. was an American rhythm-and-blues, funk, soul and blues singer, songwriter, dancer, DJ and comic entertainer from Memphis, Tennessee. He recorded for several labels, including Chess Records and Sun Records in the 1950s, before becoming established in the 1960s and 1970s at Stax Records. His dance records, including "Walking the Dog" (1963), "Do the Funky Chicken" (1969), and "(Do the) Push and Pull" (1970), were some of his most successful songs. According to the Mississippi Blues Commission, "Rufus Thomas embodied the spirit of Memphis music perhaps more than any other artist, and from the early 1940s until his death . . . occupied many important roles in the local scene."
Charles "Skip" Pitts was an American soul and blues guitarist. He is best known for his distinctive "wah-wah" style, prominently featured on Isaac Hayes' title track from the 1971 movie Shaft. He is widely considered to have been one of the architects of soul, R&B and funk guitar.
Timothy Jerome Parker, better known by his stage name Gift of Gab, was an American rapper best known for performing in the Bay Area hip hop duo Blackalicious along with DJ Chief Xcel. He was also a member of Quannum Projects, a Bay Area hip hop crew and record label, and performed and recorded as a solo artist.
Lucas MacFadden, better known as Cut Chemist, is an American DJ and record producer. He is a former member of Jurassic 5 and Ozomatli. He has collaborated with DJ Shadow on a number of projects.
Duncan Beiny, better known as DJ Yoda, is a hip hop DJ who uses samples to create an animated musical style. He is known for several awards and media industry achievements.
Charles Stewart, better known as Chali 2na, is an American painter and rapper, associated with the groups Jurassic 5 and Ozomatli. He is known for his bass-baritone voice and quick delivery rapping style.
Ultimate Breaks and Beats was a series of 25 compilation albums released from 1986 to 1991 by Street Beat Records and edited by "BreakBeat Lou" Flores. Featured on the albums were funk, R&B, soul, jazz and rock tracks from the 1960s to 1980s that included influential drum breaks.
Double Dee and Steinski is a duo of hip hop producers, composed of Doug "Double Dee" DiFranco and Steven "Steinski" Stein. They achieved notoriety in the early 1980s for a series of underground hip-hop sample-based collages known as the "Lessons".
Product Placement is an album by DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist. It was released in 2001 on One29 Records.
The Live Mix, Part 2 is an album by Breakestra, an American a ten-piece funk "orchestra". The album is a combination of breaks and funk covers performed with real instruments, and featuring the vocals of band member Mixmaster Wolf. All tracks were produced by This Kid Named Miles.
Oddjobs was an alternative hip hop group from Minnesota formed in 1995. The band released three studio albums and several EPs including 2003's critically praised Drums; it broke up in 2004 and the members re-formed as Kill the Vultures and Power Struggle.
"Funky President (People It's Bad)" is a funk song by James Brown. Released as a single in 1974, it charted No. 4 R&B. It also appeared on the album Reality. According to Brown the "funky president" of the song's title was meant to refer to U.S. President Gerald Ford, who had succeeded Richard Nixon in the White House shortly before it was recorded.
DJ Sammy At Work (In the Mix) is the first remix album by DJ Sammy. It was released in 1998.
Willie Henderson is an American R&B and soul musician and producer.
The Hard Sell is a live DJ mix album by American music producers and turntablists DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist, released in January 2007. The album is a recording of a rehearsal by the two producers for a June 2007 show at the Hollywood Bowl.
The Hard Sell (Encore) is an album by DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist. It was released in 2008. The entire mix performed live and recorded during rehearsals for the Hard Sell tour, November 2007, at the pink house.
The discography of DJ Shadow, an American music producer and disc jockey, consists of seven studio albums, six live albums, six compilation albums, two remix albums, two mix albums, five extended plays, twenty-eight singles and fourteen music videos. He released his debut single – a split release featuring his track "Lesson 4" and "Real Deal" by American hip hop ensemble Lifers Group – in 1991. After signing to Mo' Wax Records in 1993, he released the singles "In/Flux" and "Lost and Found (S.F.L.)", both of which became minor hits in the United Kingdom. Shadow attained his first top 75 single in 1995 with "What Does Your Soul Look Like", which peaked at number 59 in the UK. In November 1996, his debut studio album Endtroducing..... was released to critical acclaim. It peaked at numbers 17 and 75 in the UK and the Netherlands respectively, later being certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). The album's first single, "Midnight in a Perfect World", charted at number 54 in the UK. "Stem", the album's second single, became a top fifteen hit in Ireland. Remix singles of the Endtroducing..... tracks "What Does Your Soul Look Like " and "The Number Song" were also issued. The compilation album Preemptive Strike peaked at number 118 on the United States Billboard 200, becoming Shadow's first album to chart in the country. It produced one single, "High Noon", which peaked at number 22 in the UK.
The Bo-Keys are a soul jazz band from Memphis, Tennessee, formed as an homage to the city's rich musical tradition.
Brain freeze is an alternative name for a cold-stimulus headache.
Joshua Paul Davis, better known by his stage name DJ Shadow, is an American DJ and record producer. His debut studio album, Endtroducing....., was released in 1996.