Madlib’s Beat-Konducta series has the reputation of compiling only the Loop Digga’s very best material. Every beat-based release of the last years seems to have been chosen by the rappers themselves and are therefore under the premise of needing to be rap-able. The latest edition of the series (without counting the Medicine-set), which was last stopping in Africa, is now based on the world of rock music and is sampling its cross-country-way through 30 years of rock-histoy, mostly prog-rock-history. What’s most important: Madlib himself has done the selecting. At least that’s what I’d like to believe. And as long as there’s no rapper to be heard, these two untitled vinyl sides are worth 40 minutes of wonderful treasures full of proggy melodies, swinging breaks, heartfelt piano-tunes, short vocal tracks and snippets of synth-sounds. Madlib defends his position as the chef-progger, and so »Rock Konducta« gets in line with Madlib’s best previous productions, in which he used to borrow from Gentle Giant, Vanilla Fudge or Van der Graaf Generator. These are his best beats in quite some time. In other words (from a sample used on this record): »We try our best to make it sound nice.«
Rock Konducta Part 1
