Some albums are such easy winners. I love it, especially come review time. So let me paint the picture. There is a fledging little indy label named Chocolate Industries, last year they put one of the years best compilations in the “Urban Renewal Project.” It features plenty of indy heavyweights; El-P, Aesop Rock, Rjd2, Souls of Mischief, Mr. Lif, Prefuse 73 and even the mighty Mos Def. So here we are with “Urban Renewal Project Supp. 1.5,” an 8 track, 26 minute EP of remixes and new tracks.
What’s better is the line-up that Chocolate enlists for “1.5.” They take the already incredible song, and remix, and remix again; using Kutmasta Kurt of all people. So you’ve Diverse and Mos Def dismantling Kurt’s hard-hitting Indian flavored beat. C’mon now, it is too easy. How about another remix? Aesop Rock remixing his own “Train Buffer” perhaps? Yes well, even better than the original I say. A little more synthed and not quite as busy. Chocolate Industries decided to see if they could find similar success with another orphan, so here is Slug. His trademark paranoia is laid down nicely over Ant’s simplistic guitar driven beat on “Fear.” Plus they’ve got their very own Diverse to grace the EP with another remix in the form “Blindman.” It seems as if the Industry screeches to a halt when Caural’s “Photograph” is mistaken for the CD not reading properly. Before I put my fist through my stereo, the song progressed nicely and the method to Caural’s madness is exposed. Short but sweet, Prefuse 73’s interlude bridges nicely to The Timeout Drawer’s “Broad Grins From the Boarding Ramp.” A nice little chill out number that does a nice job bring the album to a close.
So how easy that was? It was like they weren’t even trying. And be sure, this is a supplement to the original “Urban Renewal Project.” Each track could be blended seamlessly within the original if it were necessary. Sup-ple-ment: “Something added to complete a thing, extend or strengthen the whole.” That definition about says it all.
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