Artist: Kon & Amir/DJ MuroTitle: The Kings of Diggin’: Kon & Amir And DJ MuroRating: 4 StarsReviewed by: Jessica Dufresne
If you’re not into beats, don’t care about the origins of the songs you hear or aren’t interested in good ol’ (emphasis on ol’) funky, soulful music, then this CD is not for you. Not only is it strictly for the crate diggers and rare groove loving segment of music fans, it’s for the more intermediate and open of them. Novices beware: the goodies on this double CD are not the usual rare treats you’ll find on the average compilation.
BBE Records presents the next installment of their popular Kings Of Diggin’ series with The Kings of Diggin’: Compiled by Kon & Amir and DJ Muro (BBE). Who? Well, if you’re asking, then you didn’t heed the warning. Dusty vinyl collectors (and those of you who just like to know what got sampled) should recognize the names since these guys have been at the top of their collecting game for years now. Kon & Amir are known for their On Track series which showcase their digging adeptness, while DJ Muro has been putting out his King of Diggin’ mixtapes for more than a minute.
Basically, what you get when you combine these three on a compilation is 61-that’s right, 61 songs rescued from the depths of obscurity and waiting to be sampled if they haven’t been already. Kon & Amir’s side provides 17 tracks of easy listening choices, and are arguably smoother on the ear than Muro’s comprehensive 44 selections, which, depending on your digging level, are more frantic in mood and pace. Of course, as is the case with rare grooves, you don’t always get the full songs–just enough to whet your appetite and motivate you to do some research. However, your work is made a little easier here (probably much to purists’ dismay) because every song title is listed along with the artist.
The Kings of Diggin’:Kon & Amir and DJ Muro is a great and educational release to add to a collection and also a surefire way to get props from your vinyl addict friends. And keeping in the diggin’ tradition, there aren’t any sample song listings here-you’ll have to find the album for that.