Front End Lifter (Atlantic) by Yohimbe Brothers (CD, Sep-2002, Ropeadope (USA))

Album Features
UPC:	075679313621
Artist:	Yohimbe Brothers
Format:	CD
Release Year:	2002
Record Label:	Ropeadope (USA)
Genre:	R&B, Turntablist

Track Listing
1. Ponk
2. Tenemental
3. 6996 (Club Yohimbe)
4. Psychopathia Mojosexualis
5. Welcome 2 the Freq Show
6. $Moke and Du$t - (dub version)
7. Big Pill, The
8. Bamalamb
9. Transmission XXX
10. Just a Little Screwy
11. Invitation to a Situation
12. Prelude to a Diss
13. Innerspin (A Tone Hymn)
14. Callipygiac Caldonians, The
15. Obscure Object of Desire, The

Details
Contributing Artists:	Prince Paul, Slick Rick
Producer:	Vernon Reid, DJ Logic
Distributor:	WEA (Distributor)
Recording Type:	Studio
Recording Mode:	Stereo
SPAR Code:	n/a

Album Notes
Yohimbe Brothers: Vernon Reid (guitar, sound effects); DJ Logic (sampler, sound effects, scratches, turntables).Additional personnel: Latasha Natasha Diggs (vocals); Doug Wimbish, Hank Schroy (bass instrument); Will Calhoun, Yuval Gabay (drums); Prince Paul, Slick Rick.Though you get the sense that Front End Lifter is simply a good-time side project for free-willed New York artists Vernon Reid and DJ Logic, the resulting album is so staggering you really wish the duo would get together more often. Over the course of 15 relatively brief, incredibly dense, and surprisingly varied compositions, the guitarist and turntablist showcase remarkable creativity, offering much more than the expected -- guitar riffing over turntable scratching. In fact, there's very little, if any, of that; rather, the two compose what very well could be thought of as sound collages or free jazz-style illbience. Recording as the Yohimbe Brothers, the duo invite a long list of guests -- bassists, drummers, vocalists, rappers, saxophonists, violinists, and more -- yet somehow make all of these musicians sound like little more than some of the many samples used to craft these chaotic soundscapes. And the duo does all this in a very silly kind of way, adopting a Handsome Boy Modeling School-style demeanor. From the album title to the song titles, not the mention the Yohimbe reference, everything here seems as though it's a double-entendre. Thus what seems, musically, like a very heady project comes off as a good-time side project. And given the reputation of Reid and Logic, two prolific yet willingly nomadic artists of undeniable genius, Front End Lifter probably is no more than a one-off project. Even so, it's a marvelous one that transcends the usual contexts these guys work in. Reid will probably forever be known as the guy from the late-'80s hard rock band Living Colour, and Logic will probably remain known as the turntablist of choice among the New York avant-jazz scene; however, Front End Lifter couldn't be more distant from either of those trappings, instead fun-spirited, sexploitative illbience in all its unlikely glory. ~ Jason Birchmeier