The Baker's Dozen label series doesn't seem to stop and after providing the twelfth album in three years, the Fat Beats subsidiary releases its "XIII" version. It features thirteen rhythms from thirteen different producers, including Pete Rock, Statik Selektah, Madlib, Alchemist and Black Milk: you shouldn't expect them to keep their best rhythms and place them in a compilation that practically no one will ever listen to, however, their beats sound adequately good, neither surprising nor disappointing.
So, the other guys have a chance to emerge and that's what happens immediately with the instrumental of Damu the Fudgemunk: boom bap, skinny and pounding drum machine, cool scratches, awesome xmas bells, great samples. NY producer Blockhead replies with a second soundscape at the same level. This is followed by the choice of Pete Rock, a good melodic loop with a lighter drum than what listeners are used to. Statik Selektah achieves a dusty and dark rhythm, with a tight and thin drum and a slow melodic loop, preceding Madlib, which presents a good midtempo beat.
I find the rhythm chosen by Kutmah more ordinary, preceding The Alchemist, not at his best here, with a meager and somber downtempo production. Onra is a French beatmaker born in Germany, he offers a jazzy boom bap with tight slow drum and good sax sampled. A jazzy melodic soundscape created by Black Milk follows. Four jazzy boom bap rhythms close with dry and slow drums, and good samples, made respectively by Tokimonsta (Los Angeles), FloFilz (Germany), Mndsgn (San Diego) and Mitsu the Beats (Japan). The rhythms of FloFilz and Mndsgn are similar, both good with piano loops.
Tape of about 33 minutes and 13 songs, it's not exactly cohesive musically, it sounds a bit like thirteen random beats, which is why it's not one of the best tapes in the series, despite the potential.
Highlights: "Star of David", "Mediocre Karma", "Melinda", "Watamu", "Green Tea & Honey", "Give Me".
Rating: 6.5/10.
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