Now, Listen Again!

by John BushThe flagship of Britain's Solid Steel mix show, DJ Food & DK broke the mold for mix albums with the landmark Now, Listen!. The follow-up may be guided by the same aesthetic and tread the same ground, but Led Zeppelin made three (or four) albums with the same title and they're all great too. Specifically, Now, Listen Again! has the same high energy level, a similar surplus of incredible mash-ups that are over before listeners can grow tired of them, and more of the broadest beats in London (which takes care of the rest of the world to boot). How about Ram Jam's "Black Betty" dissolving into the obscure blues guitarist Johnny Jones' growling "Purple Haze"? Or how about one of Fallacy's speed raps racing over New Order's "The Beach"? Best of all, imagine a Timbaland beat, with Missy Elliott and Tim trading verses with Rakim on Eric B. & Rakim's "I Know You Got Soul," which merges, gradually, perfectly into Human League's "Being Boiled." Throw in loads more hip-hop (British and American underground), some drum'n'bass, a few rare-groove funk or jazz chestnuts, and the theme to Are You Being Served?, and it's clear that Now, Listen Again! is just as fun and freaky as the first installment.