David Axelrod
Thanks to the serendipitous routes through music that sampling encourages, David Axelrod has enjoyed a renaissance some 30 years after his career peak. You may not have heard the name before, but you've heard his indelible compositional style - dissonant and dense, yet delicate and funky - on songs including Dr. Dre's "The Next Episode," Mos Def's "Hip-Hop" and DJ Shadow's "Midnight in a Perfect World." He's not the most sampled artist in rap history, but he's become one of the most respected for his brilliant compositions and insights into the breadth of funk.His newest album is actually 31 years old, a revisit of a lost 1968 acetate, but you'd never guess its age by listening. All of Axelrod's timeless elements and key players are beautifully front and center: Carol Kaye's stirring, rich bass lines; drummer Earl Palmer's crackling breakbeats; and a bellowing horn section arranged by H.B. Barnum. On the contemporary tip, Ras Kass appears on "Little Children," one of the two new songs on the album. Axelrod's longtime collaborator Lou Rawls offers vocals on "Loved Boy," the other.The best songs, though, are the ones dedicated to the hip-hop artists responsible for Axelrod's resurgence. "Dr. and the Diamond" (for Dr. Dre and Diamond D) is dark and dramatic like a winter storm, but the prize gem is "The Shadow Knows" (for DJ Shadow), a seven-minute epic of immense grace, beauty and weight. In times like this, it's clear that Axelrod is as essential to music now as he was 30 years ago.Oliver Wang--From URB Magazine