Sy ShacklefordThe musical half of Minneapolis hip-hop duo Atmosphere, Anthony “Ant” Davis is a producer/DJ devoted to his craft. The proof? A large vinyl collection which takes him on frequent sonic archaeological excavations for unearthed sounds. Apart from Atmosphere, his beats have been blessed by Eyedea & Abilities, Brother Ali, and Felt. With “Collection of Sounds Vol. 1”, Ant now produces for himself, but he’s not rapping. The first of four intended releases, “Vol. 1” is a handpicked compilation of unreleased material Ant’s produced over the years, slightly tweaked for this album.
With instrumental hip-hop albums, they impose a greater challenge for the listener. The lack of lyrics makes the task of analysis and interpretation more difficult, but not impossible. With “Collection of Sounds Vol. 1”, there’s the addition of having vocals samples from the same source tying the album together conceptually. Inevitably, I believe listeners can expect something similar on future volumes of this series. Though sample-based, Ant’s beats are certainly from different time periods given the sounds and the titles. Also, none of the tracks surpass the three-minute mark. To get the ball rolling is “Collection of Sounds Start”, complete with a blues loop, record scratching, and book-ended with one the aforementioned vocal samples. “Leather Soul” is the trademark hip-hop funk that bleeds from one of Atmosphere’s confessional songs, then comes “Bar One” with layered synths and head nod-inducing drums. “SK15 Fly Strings” sounds like Atmosphere during their “When Life Gives You Lemons” period when Ant wasn’t sampling. “I Was Always A Collector” is a vocal narrative clearly autobiographical of Ant with brief acid-jazz spliced in. Speaking of acid…
The very brief “Lovely Original Sketch” has a psychedelia to it that makes me wish it went for longer than just shy of fifty seconds. “My First Koop Session” is the first track to cause me to not only bop my head, but make the “stank face”. Its deep bass and moody melody are reminiscent of west coast gangsta rap. “Only The Junk” is mostly a musical interlude with a looped vocal sample made haunting by being slightly sped up. “Collection Side Two” continues where “I Was Always A Collector” left off, but ends with an airy coda. The first single, “This Happened”, is just as lush with its multi-tracked vocals and kaleidoscope of sound:
The second single “Sun Decides” is certainly from the “You Can’t Imagine How Much Fun We’re Having” era of the mid-2000s: When sample-based producers were influenced by the music on Jay-Z’s “The Blueprint” which popularized the use of high-pitched vocals from vintage R&B, the “chipmunk soul” sound. As is “Random Beat CD March 2005” given the title and oddly, the guitar work on this track sounds more organic than sample-based. “Every Once In A While” provides brief insight into the mindset of a producer before the beat starts. The music is interesting, having something of a tribal sound amidst the vinyl crackling. “Fooled You” seems to be veiled criticism on Ant’s received criticism throughout his career. “That Old Bongo Joint” is a chill funk number with actual bongo drums sampled:
“4 Track Beyond Beat 1996” is spooky as hell with its string sample and I can hear horrorcore artists, such as the Gravediggaz, rapping over it. Closing out the album is “Outernet Sketch For Live Us”, the one track that feels as KPM-inspired as the album cover. Ant has always been a beatsmith with a consistent, but slept-on, output. His sonic creations are as varied as the vinyl from which he digs for inspiration and “Collection of Sounds Vol. 1” reflects this. It did feel very short even after several listens, as several of these productions were interesting enough to crave continuation. I suppose on “Vol. 2”, Ant will expound on this album there.