Part 2. Rare Tracks by Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth
By far some of the best music to design to, I find, is hip hop. I’ve grown up with it and have a lot of love for it. I still find it divides people greatly, but I think this is due in part to a lot of people being exposed only to the large amount of complete crap that gets released.
The criminally underrated Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth are a different matter. This particular collection, Rare Tracks, is a hard to find little gem of remixes and rarities. If you come across it, nice going. If you don’t, give Mecca and the Soul Brother or The Main Ingredient a try as they include some of the original versions of tracks from RT.
The tracklist of RT contains reworked versions of various classic tracks from the pairs back catalogue of classic material; sitting and listening while designing really is a joy. Pete Rock’s soul fuelled production provides a perfect backdrop to C.L. Smooth’s story telling knack. When Pete Rock is responsible for a beat (RT or otherwise) you know you’re getting something that will balance the melodic with the crashing boom-bap that gives you that extra bit of bounce and energy. So while providing a hell of a metronome for getting you moving and really stuck into that design that’s been bugging you, the soul samples and horn sections have the potential to carry you to a place where you can develop your thoughts and ideas.
