lockdown : vinyl find #18.

Fourteen years ago, on my way out of China, I passed by Tokyo, Japan. I wasn't a record collector yet at the time, but I had in mind that one day, I would fall in that category. I was fantasizing it. I was of course already very interested in music, in various genres. The internet had helped me to increase my knowledge of obscure records and distant genres, though the forums, the P2P and the music blogs. What an era... 

As a real dreamer, I went to Shibuya, where the buildings are filled with record stores, from the bottom to the basements to the small apartments. I spent an awful lot of time in those, and I didn't even know what to look for. It was a whole new world for me, the dream. I didn't even owned a turntable ! But the whole experience was great. 

Hip-hop, but not only, was a big focus and I knew that the Jazzy Sport label (which I had discovered through DJ Mitsu The Beats and DJ Muro's mixes) started as a record store in Tokyo. So, when I found it, I started digging, searching for something cheaper than the usual, something that would filled my quest for exclusive stuff. Well, at least I thought I would feel that way... But to be honest, I felt ashamed. For knowing so few. Short version : I didn't fit. But the Japanese are so discreet and nice that they won't make you feel bad. 

Madlib was already a steady name in the alternative rap scene, and I felt that he would be here to stay. His unique approach to sound, and especially to sampling, would inspire lots of beatmakers for the following years, and to this day I was right. 

When I found this EP, it was the perfect find : it wasn't as expensive as the rest (I was damn poor so most LP's were not be considered), it wore Madlib's name, and it was kind of a rough project. The copy I bought was labelled as "sample", so it thought it would be some kind of promo version or bootleg. Only years later, I found out it was a very regular project. 

6 tracks from Madlib's archives, splitted on the two sides of a 45, straight to the point, pure rap served by heavy spitters like Wildchild, Oh No, MED, Declaime, Kazi, plus DJ Romes on the scratches. The early Stones Throw recipe. With a title that would be the name of Madlib's imprint : Madlib Invazion.  

Madlib - Madlib Invazion.

Here's the full EP : YouTube.

I proudly consider this one as the first piece of vinyl I bought with my own money. Could have been worse...