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I've read in numerous magazine articles that Eric B & Rakim were pretty
marginal until Coldcut's "Paid In Full" mix made the UK top 10. The
track made a name for EB&R, and they were pissed that a couple of white
boys had done it. EB&R never gave Coldcut any kind of credit or respect,
though they pocketed the money. Coldcut made something like 200 quid,
which is why they released "Not Paid Enough". But it made a name for
them too - got them the album deals they wound up hatin' so much.
Never will forget the first time I heard "Paid In Full" - it was on DJ
JD's wednesday night hiphop show on WREK - he mixed the instrumental
(Coldcut) part underneath "Run's House" so flawlessly that I went and
bought the RunDMC 12", then I found out it was Eric B & Rakim. Doh!
Then I bought a bunch of EB&R, thinkin' they was cool, but found out it
was Coldcut that was cool.
I wound up buyin' Coldcut when I heard that crazy Tarzan yodel in "Stop
This Crazy Thing" on the radio. Been a fan ever since, though it puzzled
me when they disappeared for a few years.
Coldcut's "JB Payback Mix" is one of the alltime great sampling tours de
force. They take at least one measure of what seems like every James Brown
song ever and tempo match it for one seamless (though disorienting in its
overload factor) groove. More importantly, unlike most hack DJs, they
knew how to make the seques work musically - no discordance due to bad
pitch shifts or chord changes. At the time it took the top of my head off
with the possibilities it showed me. I've still got a scratchy copy on
DAT somewhere....
Che