HIP HOP

DJ Green Lantern New World Order
(Nocturne/Fusion III)
DJ Green Lantern, a.k.a. Evil Genius, is on an unstoppable ride of mayhem ever since he blew people away 10 years ago with his mixed tape Invasion!. Now signed to Russell Simmons Music Group, the Evil Genius had a brief but successful run with Eminem and Shady Records (which ended in controversy) and has produced for Judakiss, D-Block and Nas. Here’s a double-mixed CD of what he’s so famous for: total hip hop, mixology carnage with 28 tracks on disc one and 26 on disc two, including beats by Mobb Deep, Nas, Jay-Z, Wu-Tang, Cormega, Ghostface, Xzibit, 50 Cent/G Unit, Rah Digga, Kool G Rap & Big Daddy Kane, Kardinal Offishal & Busta Rhymes, Redman & Method Man…and well, just about everyone. —Rusty

Treva Whateva Music’s Made of Memories
(Ninjatune/Outside Music)
Upon first listening, there could never be any doubt that Treva Whateva, disregarding any of your first impressions or reactions to hisname, had to be a Ninjatune artist. After hanging out behind record counters in northern England, compiling records for Fat City in Manchester, and eventually DJing alongside good buddy Andy Carthy, who later became Mr. Scruff, Treva had a brief stint with Skint Records before hooking up with Ninjatune. An orgy of beats, basslines, sampled and dubbed out classic lounge gems and rare groove, edited and re-edited, Music’s Made of Memories lies harmoniously somewhere between DJ Food, Mr. Scruff and Amon Tobin. An excellent debut. —Rusty

The Free Design The Now Sound Redesigned
(Light In the Attic Records)
A clever concept that could really turn into a successful enterprise of revisiting and remixing lost or forgotten music from the past, Peanut Butter Wolf’s label Light In The Attic has spent three years re-working the bizarre ’60s soft-psychedelic vocal harmonies of Chris, Bruce, Sandy and Ellen Dedrick; the family that was The Free Design. Possibly ahead of their time like The Beatles’ “Tomorrow Never Knows”, the redesigned Free Design is like being in Antonioni’s Zabriski Point by the likes of Stereolab, Caribou, Super Furry Animals, Koushik and Kid Koala and Dynomite D is quite inspiring. I hope there are more projects like this on the way. —AZ

Bonobo Solid Steel Presents
(Ninja Tune/Outside Music)
When Ninja Tune decides to create a series, it’s a guaranteed seal of approval for essential listening and collecting. Based on their radio show, Solid Steel, previous mixes by Hexstatic, The Herbaliser, Amon Tobin and Kentaro have been absolutely brilliant, bringing new meaning to the term “mixtape.” Bonobo’s mix is a wicked blend of percussive rare groove, funky ghetto jazz, ultra-cool spy-heist jams, Latin-Afro rock and ruff ’n’ tuff urban reggae. Bonobo’s sense of timing and programming is impeccable, building momentum and keeping the vibe hot, and then subtly winding things down with more smooth and mellow downtempo sounds. —Rusty

Matisyahu Live At Stubb’s
(Music/JDUB Records/Epic)
One of the best surprises this year is Hasidic reggae singer Matthew Miller, a.k.a. Matisyahu, whose long spiritual journey from the Rocky Mountains in Colorado to Israel eventually resulted in a strong relationship with god and his Judaic roots. As Matisyahu found himself in New York, more focused on his musical aspirations, he attended a synagogue in the Upper West Side called Carlebach Shul, which nurtured his passion for singing and the numinous power of song in Hasidic Judaism. His music is a fascinating combination of Bob Marley-esque roots reggae with the lyrical wisdom of the legend Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach. Basically, the man can rap crazier than Eminem and Snow combined, with the blackness and most righteousness of any rastafari! —Rusty