(Mixtape; No Rating Given)

Edan may have only released three full-length albums, but he’s managed to reach legendary status amongst hip-hop heads and old school purists. An acquired taste, Edan has nailed what made hip-hop great in the 1980’s and regurgitated it into his own modern sound, best exemplified on his Primitive Plus and Beauty and The Beat LP’s. Two years ago, Edan’s distributor, Traffic Entertainment Group began fielding calls about when Edan would release his next rap record. But with no release date in sight, they came up with an idea to tide the fans over – that being, giving Edan full access to their catalog to make a funky mixtape. And that means stuff from guys like Spyder-D, not Spider Loc.

The end result is a labor of love that takes form in a just-under-30 minute megamix called Echo Party. Edan The DJ rapes the crates of vintage record labels like Magic Records, Chocolate Star, P&P and others, and creates an almost indistinguishable mix of breaks, beats, and vocals. More than just mixing his favorite records together, Edan lends his skill as a producer, deconstructing and reconstructing these classic tracks, adding his own effects, instrumentation, and kazoos to the mix. It all comes together in a non-stop work of art that not only shows off Edan’s knowledge of prehistoric hip-hop, but also his vision as a producer.

While the mix can be overly experimental from time-to-time, it merely teases the palette, leaving listeners looking for another vocal LP from Edan. His one of a kind style makes him something special in this overcrowded market of “artists” that have nothing original to bring to the table, so in one sense, the release of a mixtape after a five year dry spell is a little disheartening – but it’s better than nothing! However, Echo Party does bring one interesting thought to the table…. Perhaps Traffic will allow Edan access to their catalog to produce his next vocal album…. – DJ Pizzo