Underground producer Jel's instrumental hip-hop opus 10 Seconds is the underground analogue to a producer's album a la N.E.R.D. except with fewer vocals, and far less studio polish. Like the Neptunes, Jel is a high-demand fellow, a bedrock for that shapeless mass of Anticon MCs. With this album, though, Jel bucks innovation and gives a hefty, rustic shout-out to producers of yore. And what easier way to pay one's respects than to use their equipment?
The concept on 10 Seconds revolves around a sampler: the classic E-Mu Systems SP-1200. The title refers to the limited sampling time of the SP-1200 (every cut had to be 10 seconds or less-- usually less), precluding most P. Diddy-style "whole song" ripoffs. Limited sampling time was one feature that lent to the SP's distinctive sound. The other was the SP-1200's low-tech construction: limited by 12-bits of sampling power, SP beats were uniformly dank, dirty and rough-hewn-- a grittiness that appealed to producers looking for a little more snarl in their funk. The cast of SP disciples who fell in love with the machine is illustrious: Mantronix, Marley Marl, Large Professor, Ced Gee, the Bomb Squad and the Beastie Boys, just to name a few.
Given the aforementioned lineup of hip-hop all-stars, making an album in tribute to their equipment could be disastrous. At its worst, it would approximate handing B.B. King's "Lucille" to Extreme's Nuno Bettencourt. Or giving Van Halen's mic to Extreme's Gary Cherone. Or really, just about anything involving decent music exchanged with elements of the instrument-endorsing blowhards responsible for "More Than Words." Luckily, Jel manages to avoid such ignominy. Rather, he does a nice job, tweaking some authentic growl out of the SP, and adding some flavor of his own.
Jel never departs from funky beats-- no matter what the sample or mood, the beat remains, and it's usually fairly straightforward, using standard funk basslines and hyper-syncopated drumbeats. On the other hand, they can also be quite stagnant-- rarely do you hear many rhythm changes or interludes. Instead, most of the flavor comes from authentic samples, scratches, and drums. As a result, the consistent patterns can wear a little thin. A good example is "Channel Assign," which vamps on a reverbed two-chord organ riff while a nice, hollow-sounding drum beat pumps underneath. The beat is fresh, but the track clocks in at about four minutes, with little other than the organ riff dropping in and out to keep it interesting.
"Special," on the other hand, is the record's highlight. It includes Jel's finest sample work, grounding the beat in a Bob Marley groove, while adding some ambient crowd noise, what sounds like an electric oboe, and the requisite scratched-up old-skool MC verse. Although 10 Seconds doesn't break much new ground, it is a good disc, true to Jel's concept and very listenable. Like most of the SP's work-product, 10 Seconds sounds like old, undiscovered vinyl-- with plenty of funk, crackle, and pop.
