DJ Kicks
Unlike the other artists featured in the esteemedDJ-Kicksseries, the Stereo MCs' style is more difficult to pin down. WithAndrea Parkerlisteners expected--and got--a dark electro and hip-hop workout;Kemistry and Stormprovided an intro to heady drum & bass; andKruder and Dorfmeisterand theThievery Corporationfurther explored their murky worlds of stoned head-trips. But the Stereo MCs, who first exploded with the single "Connected," move from the sumptuous jungle ofRed Snapperto the blunted beats ofHerbaliserand the old-school hip-hop of Freddy Fresh without blinking an eye. The collection is a study in eclectic range-funk, soul, big beat, and hip-hop; new and old come to the fore with little care for technical turntable wizardry. The approach has more in common with the Gilles Peterson school of mixing than, say,Richie Hawtin's flawless bridges. The point: it's the music, stupid.--Tricia Romano