DJ Spinna
Heavy Beats, Volume 1

To listeners not familiar with the world of black music, the name Rawkus Records may mean little or nothing; to everyone else, however, the New York label will be reminiscent of the so-called golden age of underground hip-hop, a period spanning from the late '90s to the early 2000s marked by significant underground fervor, interpreted by many as a reaction to the genre's increasing commercialization.

In this context, the American label represented the equivalent of a beacon in a stormy night, a solid reference point for those seeking true, genuine sounds, light-years away from some of the cheesy stuff that, at the time, passed through MTV and the major distribution channels.

Among the most interesting figures of those glorious years (an adjective that may seem exaggerated to many, but not to those who lived through the times more or less directly) is Vincent E. Williams, better known as DJ Spinna.

A member of the Jigmastas along with partner Kriminul, Spinna reached his debut after producing some notable tracks and especially after releasing some 12” records and compilations with his counterpart (among these stands out the memorable single “Beyond Real” and the collection Grass Roots “Lyrical Fluctuation”).

The record, titled Heavy Beats, Volume 1 (there were supposed to be more volumes, alas never recorded), was released in 1999 by Rawkus Records. More than a full-fledged album, it is actually an EP containing eight tracks and lasts about thirty minutes. This detail initially may raise eyebrows among the more demanding, who will, however, change their minds after listening to the material it consists of, meager yes, but of rather high quality.

The tracklist includes excellently rapped tracks and instrumental ones, alternated in a balanced manner. In all of them, the talent of Vincent E. Williams emerges, a beatmaker who doesn’t hesitate to search for unusual loops and bizarre vocal samples and then arrange them over dirty, powerful drums, in the purest American underground style.

In the “team” tracks Spinna enlists a handful of MCs united by skill, style, and almost all having crossed paths with Rawkus Records.

In “Who U Be” we find the Missin’ Linx, a trio from the Big Apple lending their rhymes to an essential and somewhat nocturnal base, characterized by a hypnotic loop punctuated by rapid electronic inserts. Really nice.

“Time Zone” is the most “conscious” track of the batch, a sonic kaleidoscope enriched by the words of Apani B Fly and Talib Kweli, who delivers a monstrous verse both in terms of technique and content (“Not the losers, but the winners tell the story/Ignore the truth, take out the gory details and get the glory” or: “We right in the new age with new slaves, we need to bless the stage/Cause the audience's brains affected by devils like cage”).

The horror atmospheres dominate in the delirious “Watch Dees”, where the microphone is exchanged between the crazy Thirstin’ Howl III and a young Eminem, ready to gift us some gems of mixed psychopathy and bad taste (“Who's arm is this?/I must have cut it off of the pharmacist/Who refused to renew my seventh prescription of darvecet”). The production by Spinna is not less impressive, full of screams, scratches, and strings perfect for the soundtrack of a '70s b-movie.

The rest of the tracklist is occupied by some instrumental compositions, expressions of the more daring side of the North American DJ. I am referring to the evocative “A Grooveamungus”, the irresistible breakbeat of “Rock”, and the chopped samples of the minimal “The Haunted Space Freak”. Each of these tracks reveals a personal taste and great musical exploration, authentic trademarks of the Brooklyn groove hunter.

Missing from the line-up is the robust rap of Joc Max in the introduction, the conclusion, and some sound fragments scattered here and there. These last ones, if developed, would have, in my opinion, enriched an already excellent work.

The aspects I have mentioned make Heavy Beats, Volume 1 a definitely appealing work, even if not indispensable. Rap lovers will appreciate the well-selected features, while less accustomed music lovers will be attracted by the instrumental tracks, far from the classic hip-hop and eager to venture into lesser-known territories.

In short, if you're looking for a masterpiece, it's better to look elsewhere, but if you want to spend half an hour in the company of some good music, you’ll find exactly what you need.

The choice is yours.