Visioneers - 55 Dollars

If you were unable to track down the extremely limited-edition 7-inch vinyl pieces that Visioneers released over the past few years, fear not, because all those cuts and more are now available in one album. What's more, "Dirty Old Hip-Hop" is out on BBE Records, so you should be able to find it wherever you buy good music (I got mine on mp3 at Dancetracks Digital; here's where to buy it on CD). Beats schlepping down to Soho London in a futile quest for one 45 out of a pressing of only 500, right?

Some background: Visioneers is a studio-only side project led by Mark Mac, one half of 1998 Mercury Prize nominees 4Hero (you may remember hating the Mark Mac rework of Jay Z that I posted about a year ago). With help from some of the crack players who record 4Hero's cosmic-'70s take on post-rave electronic music, Mac has created a highly listenable deconstruction of hip-hop sampling. As he says, producers like Pete Rock and Jazzy Jeff introduced him to jazz, so this project is all about paying tribute to the collision of jazz and beat-head culture. Remember Nas' "The World Is Yours"? The band vamps on that old Ahmad Jamal piano lick (all played live), with a vibraphone adding a definite Roy Ayers soul-jazz flavor. No MC, no record scratching, just tight groovin' for the hi-fi system. Now think of the Jay Dee (RIP) remix of Pharcyde's "Runnin'" -- the one with the Spanish guitar motif from Stan Getz. It gets a similar treatment: a nice jam on an addictive riff, played masterfully.

Off hand, I can't place what hip-hop tune -- if any -- inspired "55 Dollars," but it's hard to resist the swinging beat courtesy of the divine drummer Luke "Hopper" Parkhouse and Mac himself on the unmistakable Rickenbacker bass. Holler on the comments if the tune rings a bell.

In related news, Gilles Peterson reported on last week's "Worldwide" program that Mac told him the new 4Hero album is almost finished. So hopefully it will be out in 2006. In usual future-music form, Mark Mac and Dego manage only one album every four years. Keep an eye out for it.

Also, for regular helpings of good music courtesy of the 4Hero family, check out Nuwave Radio.