microphone biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics

try as i might, i've never really been able to get into quasimoto as much as i want to be. i love madlib's other stuff, and i don't think he can put out a bad instrumental track (see all of liberation, where he makes even talib kweli sound like he can rap), but his raps as quasimoto are just a little too abrupt, too stream of consciousness for me. he barely rhymes and his flow is deliberately off-beat, and it's both recognizably good yet hard to enjoy (unless you're stoned, as madlib undoubtedly was when he made the song).

in addition to quasimoto's off-kilter rhyme scheme, madlib plays with his own voice so it sounds like alvin (of & the chipmunks) rapping about smoking blunts and hating cops, which is the ultimate quasimoto aesthetic. madlib provides his own beats, so they're always damn close to perfect, though they occasionally seem ill-matched to quasimoto's subject matter; it feels odd for the violence of his words and delivery to be accompanied by such mellow beats. i've only listened to the unseen, quasimoto's first album, and while i respect it, and hear why it's good, it doesn't have the ease of his other work.

however, one incredibly dope remix of quasimoto's "microphone mathematics" really fleshes out the song and makes it at least twice as accessible and enjoyable. which, ultimately, leads me to forget remember when #2: peanut butter wolf - "microphone mathematics remix". now, this forget remember when isn't as stark as +/- last week; there are several other good songs on the album where this appears, jukebox 45s, peanut butter wolf's compilation of stones throw songs - most appropriately, as he's the label head. "ernie & the top notes feat. raymond winnifield - things could be better" is a great song, as is "breakestra - ghetto soul togetha (part two)," but the "microphone mathematics remix" is the standout track. it has all of the aural spunk and chipper-ness that the original lacks. it's especially interesting, because i think madlib himself produced the remix, leading to an

for your consideration, both are below.

quasimoto - "microphone mathematics" from the unseen. purchase here.

quasimoto - "microphone mathematics remix" from peanut butter wolf's jukebox 45s. get it here.