While the bulk of hip hop has become the pop music of today, a watered down alternative to the true-school, Stones Throw has become a label that both refreshes and pushes the boundaries, not just where it comes to hip hop, but the label’ artists digging fodder. The sub-label Now-Again run by beat monger Egon, has selectively reissued some outstanding funk and jazz over its years of existence, but their seems to be change in the wind… With the expanding tastes of Egon and company, and the inevitable hook-ups with folks like Malcolm Catto, ADM (of MRR-ADM / MHE) and Mr Chop (who has release an ep for Now-Again, and now an album tribute to Pete Rock’ beats), new areas of beat digging are being explored (watch out for the No-Wave compilation in 2010!). Forge Your Own Chains, Heavy Psychedelic Ballards & Dirges 1968-1974 spells out from the offset what they’ve tried to achieve, a pretty broad range of psychedelic tunes from the hey-day era, from all over the globe, artists included are Top Drawer, Sensational Saints, East Of Underground, D.R.Hooker, Shin Jung Hyun & The Men, T.Zchiew & The Johnny, The Strangers, Damon, Ellison, Morly Grey, Shadrack Chameleon, Ofege, Ana Y Jaime, Kourosh Yaghmaei and Baby Grandmothers. While most of these are unknowns to me, which I find quite incredible, considering I’ve spent the last three or four years immersing myself in every psychedelic album from that era from all over the world I could find, there seems to be so much untapped genius from that era still.
Stand outs for me would have to be the prog meanderings of Top Drawers “Song Of A Sinnerâ€, the title track by D.R.Hooker that is both mournful yet incredibly catchy, Ofege from Nigeria with “Its Not Easy†(a band I have to investigate a lot more), and the highly under rated Baby Grandmothers with “Somebody’ Calling My Nameâ€.
An incredible compilation, worth buying a physical copy for the expansive booklet alone, a sea of information, and a knowledge base to further investigate the great music contained on this compilation. This is a compilation worth tracking down if you have even a passing interest in psychedelic music, you will not be disappointed. Massive.
Wayne Stronell
