DJ Zeph

Track Listings

1. Percussion Discussion

2. The Movement

3. Get This

4. Southpause

5. Rubber and Glue

6. Bronx Zulu

7. Freehand

8. Mirrors on Sand

9. Imperial's Theme

10. Transmitter

Editorial Reviews
XLR8R Issue#51
"[Zeph] eschews predicatable scratch-turbation and concentrates on innovation"

Product Description
In his self-titled album, Zeph explores the boundaries and possibilities of Djing, generating a combination of beats and scratches mixed with guest instrumental and lyrical performances that will make even the most jaded hip-hop connoiseur get up and dance. This well-integrated album brings together a rare intergenerational all-star team of Bay Area musicians, including Tower of Power's Ron E. Beck on drums; lyricist Azeem(from Spearhead, Garage Opera); and the internationally renowed DJ Quest, among many others. The collaboration between Zeph and Azeem yields several exhilarating songs, including the sarcastic "Rubber and Glue," and a down-to-earth piece called, "The Movement." Zeph adds some extrra trickery by including his longtime creative counterpoint, DJ Imperial, and Bored Stiff mastermind DJ TD. Then, with "Bronx Zulu," Zeph takes hip-hop to a whole new level by collaborating with trumpeter Jon Birdsong from Beck, accompanied by a full-horn section. Also! featured on this album are Kat Ouano of the world-renowned hip-hop band, the Crown City Rockers (a.k.a. Mission), playing fender rhodes; and the soulful Tim Hyland on the flute. Thanks to Zeph's creative skills and his unique ability to bring together such a diverse group of artists, this album is one of the most imaginative of the hip-hop era.

DJ Zeph

DJ Zeph,DJ Zeph,Wide Hive Records,Pop,Rap,Rap & Hip-Hop

DJ Zeph

DJ Zeph

Sunset Scavenger
Average customer rating:

a bit different from the self titled, but still amazing

Sunset Scavenger
DJ Zeph
Manufacturer: Wide Hive Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music
General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music
Pop Rap | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

DJ Zeph

Mayhemystics

ASIN: B0001ZMX04
Release Date: 2004-05-04

Tracks:

Unsubstractable (Featuring DJ Quest)
Shake It On Down (Featuring Boots (The Coup))
Midnight Crewshade
Hands Up (Featuring Lyrics Born)
Raw B Interlude
Underscore
Floorwax (Featuring Rashaan Ahmed from the Crown City Rockers)
Imperial Interlude
Sunset Samba
Frogs (Featuring Azeem)
Go Back (Featuring Vursatyl (Life Savas))
Cormorant
Organ Eyes (Featuring Ron E. Beck & Chester Thompson)
Dhamaal Interlude
Listen Hear

Album Description

Zeph's latest album, Sunset Salvage, steps it up a notch by featuring guest artists Lyrics Born, Vursatyl of the Lifesavas, "Boots" of the Coup, and more. This album offers up a diverse range of hip hop including funk driven instrumental jams to disco-infused booty shakers, as well as smooth rocking emcee tracks that roll over Zeph's signature soundscapes.

Customer Reviews:

a bit different from the self titled, but still amazing.......2004-12-28

last time i was down in san fransisco i actualy saw zeph and he's amazing. Well i won't waste any time getting into the review, and ill start off by saying what a great cd this is, i waited and waited for this and rushed out a bought it as soon as i could, and it's worth every penny. Track one "Unsubtractable" is probably one of the best opening tracks of any cd. The beat is awesome and the piano looped throughout the song is really cool. I really like the somewhat random, yet calculated synth wind ups fading in and out with the snare. i don't really know synth terms but there's alot of really cool stuff in that song. "shake it on down" is also really good. It's a pretty simple beat, simple bassline, but it flows really well. It's the first rap song on here, with boots (the coup) who i don't really know but really like. He's got a sortof odd voice, kinda like hes got alot of smoke in his lungs haha, but it's an awesome song. "midnight Crewsade" is also really good. It's got a pretty nice breakbeat, not that complex, but really cool sounding, and i cool horn section, it's kindof like the bronx zulu of sunset scavenger. Hands up is obviously an awesome track, because it has lyrics born, so it has to be good. The beat is pretty cool, i don't know if the snare is tuned weird, or if they were just weird sticks, but whatever the case, its pretty cool, and lyrics born flows so well over it. Towards the end of the song, he starts goin really really fast and it's pretty awesome. Raw B Interlude, is well... an interlude. But it's a really good song. It slowly progresses, adding in new bits and pieces over a pretty simple, but heavy drumbeat. It's got a funny little bit after it about scratching, but it's a guy directing a girl where to scratch his back by giving her names of areas in san fran. The next track, "underscore" is probably my second favortie song on here. The beat is as usual, an awesome breakbeat, and over it is a really cool string arrangement. It's violins and such but it has a very middle eastern vibe to it. It's an awesome song. Floorwax is also a really good song, with a kindof dancebeat, its another hip hop track. The lyricist is really cool, i'm guessing he's from san fran, i don't really know him but he's really good. Imperial interlude starts with what sounds like a sitar, but im not really sure. It has a really cool break that has a very acoustic sound to it like it's a live drum set. This song was actually used in the team video for a skate shop up here in portland. It's really short, but a cool song. This leads into sunset samba. I knew id like this because it's got samba, and if it's at all brazillian ill almost definitely like it, and this is no exception. It has a very brazillian vibe to it, its basically brazillian with a trip hop beat playing with it. Then the beat drops and adds some really cool percussion, great song. Frogs, is also really cool. It has azeem, who i really like. He does alot of work with zeph, they did a song for deep concentration 4 which is actually where i heard about zeph. Then from the self titled, rubber and glue, which is probably my favorite song off that cd, this song is also really good. It's definitely one of the best on here. I'm not gonna go into it much but go back is actually really good. It grew on me and i really like it. I like the strings in the song, it actually sounds like a classy song, it's oretty cool. It also actually has turntable sctracthing, which zeph doesn't really do that much, but its really good. THEN, is my favorite zeph song ever, and possibly one of my favorite songs period. The beat is fairly simple, but really heavy. Cormorant, is a really eerie song. I don't know who it is, but some guy telling a weird sortof story about going throught a night in san fran. It gives kind of a lone, dark feeling, but not depressing at all. It's just creepy. The lyrics are pretty weird, they don't make a ton of sense, but then again it is a guy talking about smoking crack. It's kindof like mc 900 ft jesus, a bit of spoken word, its amazing. organ eyes is really cool also, but after listening to cormorant, you don't have much to say. Dhamaal interlude is really cool. It feels very middle eastern. It's all percussion, using alot of different hand drums that sounds aweosme. Listen hear, is also very brazillian, starting off with a bossa nova sound. It adds in a pretty thick drumbeat, and plays in front of the brazillian. Then it adds in an acoustic guitar loop that works really well, and some other cool stuff. Also a really great song. The flute is the highlight of this song for me. After hearing it for the first time, i was blown away. It wasn't quite what i expected. It was quite different from the first album, but unmistakabely zeph. There isn't a bad song on here. If i could, i'd give this more than 5 stars, it's better than his first album.

Average customer rating:

Great dance music that is delightfully not "in"
True Original Talent
Sweet turntablism
solid debut!

DJ Zeph
DJ Zeph
Manufacturer: Wide Hive Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music

Pop Rap | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music

General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Sunset Scavenger

ASIN: B00005LN69
Release Date: 2001-07-03

Tracks:

Percussion Discussion
The Movement
Get This
Southpause
Rubber and Glue
Bronx Zulu
Freehand
Mirrors on Sand
Imperial's Theme
Transmitter

Album Description

In his self-titled album, Zeph explores the boundaries and possibilities of Djing, generating a combination of beats and scratches mixed with guest instrumental and lyrical performances that will make even the most jaded hip-hop connoiseur get up and dance. This well-integrated album brings together a rare intergenerational all-star team of Bay Area musicians, including Tower of Power's Ron E. Beck on drums; lyricist Azeem(from Spearhead, Garage Opera); and the internationally renowed DJ Quest, among many others. The collaboration between Zeph and Azeem yields several exhilarating songs, including the sarcastic "Rubber and Glue," and a down-to-earth piece called, "The Movement." Zeph adds some extrra trickery by including his longtime creative counterpoint, DJ Imperial, and Bored Stiff mastermind DJ TD. Then, with "Bronx Zulu," Zeph takes hip-hop to a whole new level by collaborating with trumpeter Jon Birdsong from Beck, accompanied by a full-horn section. Also! featured on this album are Kat Ouano of the world-renowned hip-hop band, the Crown City Rockers (a.k.a. Mission), playing fender rhodes; and the soulful Tim Hyland on the flute. Thanks to Zeph's creative skills and his unique ability to bring together such a diverse group of artists, this album is one of the most imaginative of the hip-hop era.

Customer Reviews:

Great dance music that is delightfully not "in".......2003-08-02

Nearly all of the dance music I've heard lately, even the World Beat dance music, has a similar beat and sound. This album is refreshingly different. The songs have a great beat to dance to, but not a type of beat or sound that is commonly heard.

The song opens with some great percussion work that could fit in with the better world music stuff like Digital Bled or Mercan Dede. A couple other songs also feature sounds that have a world flavor.

Several of the tracks feature rapping, but this is not mainstream rapping by any means; it reminds me rapping from the mid-1980s from underground artists. In fact, not only the style of rapping and themes of the words, but also the underlying music takes me back to some great street music of the mid-1980s. It's such a contrast to mainstream rapping, dominated by formulas and banal topics.

A couple tracks have a jazz or mixed jazz/hiphop flavor to them. "Imperial's Theme" is really different, featuring harpsichord-like keyboard, violins, and tympani over a hiphop beat.

This is out of the mainstream, it's FRESH, it's cool. Buy, dance, enjoy.

True Original Talent.......2003-01-23

A combination of Jazz, Hip-hop & Great Taste. This album is definately not for the american idol or commercialized music fans. If you're a true musician, like real talent and good, original music you'll like DJ Zeph no doubt about it.

Sweet turntablism.......2002-03-02

DJ Zeph makes some serious waves with his first full-length. I really enjoyed this, and mostly for the subtle decisions Zeph made in production.

This is not going to hit you over the head with meaningless, overproduced beats. Zeph gives a taste of the flavor of Fender Rhodes, guitar, guest MCs, and a creativity seldom heard on hip-hop CDs.

I can't wait to hear more from this guy.

Only one complaint: it's only about 40 minutes long. Guess quality meant more than quantity to him. Right on, Zeph.

solid debut!.......2001-10-27

tracklisting:

1. percussion discussion
2.the movement
3. get this
4. southpause
5. rubberglue
6. bronx zulu
7. freehand
8. mirrors on sand
9. imperial's theme
10. transmitter

future primitive head, dj zeph will definitely have some heads nodding on this 10 track album featuring cuts from dj zeph (duh), quest and imperial. rhymes via azeem and uptempo jazz comps from bay area and widehive records artists. in the opening track, "percussion discussion" zeph hits us with some ritualistic type sh!t with sprinkles of the sitar. "mirrors on sand" brings us azeem with a live, irrie rhodes and bass rhythm section. "bronx zulu" features heavy brass and a sax over zeph's funky beat. layered, lush and very very busy are the words to describe his album. with the wide variety of sounds in dj zeph's self titled album, its obvious that the bay area's environment has influenced the direction of the album. and indeed, thats a good thing.

Soul Music:

Soul Music

soul music

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