Jay-Z vs. Marc Mac - Dirt Off Your Shoulder
Yeah, yeah, the donkey that is Jay-Z's "Black Album" has been flogged to death and then slapped around some more by all manner of remixers and mash-up stylists, but come on, this is Marc Mac from 4 Hero. So, like the Rev. Al Sharpton said, we gon' ride this donkey as far as it'll take us ...
If you don't know 4 Hero, know that Marc Mac and Dego -- reppin' Dollis Hill, West London -- are one of the most important forces in the UK electronic music of the past 15 years. They were at the forefront of rave hardcore, jungle, dark drum and bass, broken beat, the current soul-jazz revival, you name it. As 4Hero, they were nominated for the Mercury Prize for 1998's "Two Pages," and 2001's "Creating Patterns" featured Jill Scott's vocals on the cut "Another Day." (Check my radio blog for "Golden Age of Life" off "Two Pages.")
Marc and Dego each have a ton of other projects going at any time. Peek around Soulseek and Google for Marc's excursion into the sample-friendly Cadet/Chess catalog, which is most commonly known as "How About a Game of Chess." (It's an Internet-only thing, I believe.)
Look here for information about the recent collection of 4 Hero's best remixes of other artists as well as classic remixes of 4 Hero tunes. Buy it here. Look here to check in on the essential 4 Hero message board (Mark de Clive-Lowe, Domu partner Shifty, Probe DMS from Spymusic, and 4 Hero mixologist Brad Somatik are regulars).
If you don't know 4 Hero, know that Marc Mac and Dego -- reppin' Dollis Hill, West London -- are one of the most important forces in the UK electronic music of the past 15 years. They were at the forefront of rave hardcore, jungle, dark drum and bass, broken beat, the current soul-jazz revival, you name it. As 4Hero, they were nominated for the Mercury Prize for 1998's "Two Pages," and 2001's "Creating Patterns" featured Jill Scott's vocals on the cut "Another Day." (Check my radio blog for "Golden Age of Life" off "Two Pages.")
Marc and Dego each have a ton of other projects going at any time. Peek around Soulseek and Google for Marc's excursion into the sample-friendly Cadet/Chess catalog, which is most commonly known as "How About a Game of Chess." (It's an Internet-only thing, I believe.)
Look here for information about the recent collection of 4 Hero's best remixes of other artists as well as classic remixes of 4 Hero tunes. Buy it here. Look here to check in on the essential 4 Hero message board (Mark de Clive-Lowe, Domu partner Shifty, Probe DMS from Spymusic, and 4 Hero mixologist Brad Somatik are regulars).
