2015 may well go down as ‘resurgent vintage’ for some of the Nineties’ dopest beatsmiths, and I’m happy to report that this year striped veteran producers like Pete Rock and DJ Premier are concocting some of their most sophisticated work yet. While Premo is off exploring his seemingly new-found appetite for more contemporary sounds after last year’s stellar Prhyme, let’s focus on PR’s new sequel to 2001’s Petestrumentals.
Aptly named Petestrumental’s 2, this album is simply a second dose of what Pete Rock loves to do - produce funky bangers with no agenda for lyrics. Same as the last time around, his joy of creating music is evident throughout, only this time there is a more mature sophistication underlying the offering. To this day, Pete is (proudly) more of a beatmaker than a musical producer, but hot damn if he didn’t write the book on how it’s done. Many A-list producers cite him as a heavy influence, and happily even the true school young’uns these days reference his work. Many of those lessons have come about while devouring his instrumental work, and thankfully there is much of that material available.
Foremost of this work are the Petestrumental albums. Whilst instrumental versions of his solo works like the Soul Survivor LPs is essential listening for those wanting to dissect how Pete constructs tracks for lyrics, the Petestrumentals are somehow from a more pure place. Who remembers snapping your neck to any number of tracks from The Main Ingredient for the first time, only to hear it blend into a five second nugget of flawless funk that left you begging for more? That’s the space where the Petestrumentals coalesce. They aren’t built for an MC to craft a story around - they are slices of hip hop music meant more to convey a feeling. Maybe it reminds you of a night-time highway cruise with all four windows down, or a backyard barbecue with the young ones running about; it could even be late night drinks with your lads at the bar. It doesn’t really matter the context, what’s important is that this is music to complement or even define the experience in a positive, upbeat way.
Digesting Petestrumental 2, it is continually evident that Pete wants you to feel that same surge of exhilaration that he experiences daily as one of hip hop’s most beloved champions. That excitement he must feel when he drops in a perfect flipped sample over that drum loop he just banged out in the lab. Or when he’s manning the wheels in the club, scratching in that PR beat that makes the crowd lose their shit. This album is an expression of those moments.
So here’s my breakdown.
The opening track starts out with a brief upbeat intro that immediately slows into a quasi-spiritual vocal underpinned by gentle organ swirls. And that’s when that old smoothness drops in, all keyboard over Pete’s signature crunching snare and spine-tingling orchestration. There it is - that late night feel that tracks like Pete’s Jazz brought the first time around. Sure, it’s loopy, but who cares when it’s this dope. And as Heaven & Earth fades out, we get that little snippet of funk, just like old times.
From there Pete changes up again and gets right to business, finding a fresh take on JB’s Funky President. The horns blast (as they have on so many PR gems), the wah pedal is in overdrive and the drums are straight out of 1974. Then we loop back around again to that night vibe on Cosmic Slop, the wavy synth inviting those eyelids to droop following that final finger of Talisker.
Another nugget and we’re into On & On, where a seamless horn straight from the Seventies loops on and on over a stomping bassline that will get the dome nodding, stat. From there familiar samples are reflipped on Beat Goes On, introducing a vintage piano riff that plays just right over a rolling low end.
If necks weren’t snapping before, they will when Clap Your Hands (I Feel Good) kicks in. Dilla-esque in it’s sparse drumwork, a vocal sample over rolling bass stabs makes this jam simply infectious. The singsongy vocal samples continue on My My Baby, with sparse piano chords and another stabby bassline. Eventually this gives way I Wish, a late night vibe complete with blaxploitation vocal accompaniment. Last call, y’all.
The album’s first release One, Two, A Few More showcases a PR style from the NY’s Finest era featuring a subdued filtered guitar riff, funky percussion and even a little Isaac Hayes thrown in. The next release Air Smoove comes after that - once again a little Dilla-like in it’s construction. (It’s funny how Pete obviously influenced J, and here it’s turned around.) We finish off with a delicious slice of funk for the last thirty seconds. Thank you Pete.
Gonna Love You centres around a trademark PR atmospheric bell pad and a lush vocal sample. It rolls off the tongue like ice, until an abrupt style change up into 90s Class Act (Ek). And that pretty much sums up the track. Stompy drums and bouncy bassline, just like the good old days. The drum break morphs into yet another chunk of jazzy funk at the end of the track, giving way to Justice, a short skit that probably could have been skipped. It’s heavy messaging just doesn’t fit the rest of the album’s vibe.
Accelerate breaks the mood with an upbeat tempo, a fat horn hit giving a bouncy feel. Another snippet and we’re into Make Me Feel Like, with more looping horns and a playful airy percussion vibe. One more funky outro and Pete’s tribute to Detroit’s finest blasts in with fanfare horns and a thumpy, rolling low end.
A huge horn break plays over sinister congas on Play Yo Horn, slowing the pace a little. A nice tinkly piano sample reminiscent of early-Nineties Premo finishes off the track.
Bbjones introduces more funky percussion with a random guitar sample, at first sounding a little too chopped until you realise it’s on purpose, acting as a counterpoint to other designless sounds dropping in out of nowhere. This finishes off with a big slab of Bob James’ Storm King. Subtle, it ain’t.
Pete’s obligatory reggae tune is next, this time featuring blips, zings and a club bullhorn over marching drums. Not my favourite, but it really wouldn’t be a PR instrumental release without some Jamaican flavour. The album wraps up with the catchy You Know Dat. Those Pete horns again make an appearance paired nicely with staccato drums and a repeating piano riff. The albums ends abruptly with a simple beat cut.
One has to remember that this isn’t music to make dough. It’s not for critic acclaim. It’s not even for the fans. It’s not perfect, it’s not groundbreaking. But this is music by Pete, for Pete. It comes from a joyful place in his soul that we’re pretty privileged to peek into every now and then.
It reminds me when of me and B had the pleasure of pressing the flesh with the Soul Brother Number 1 a while back, and the one thing that I could thing I could think to say was a simple thanks. He knew exactly what that thank you was for - that joy in hip hop he brings with each and every release. And this album is no exception.
4 outta 5. Truly a Part 2 to the original, and a step up in terms of technique and skill. Don't expect a cohesive, seamless rap album, but rather a collection of hip hop music that will take your soul where it needs to go.
S.
09.07.15
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