The Unseen

Rating

Album: The Unseen
#	Song Title		Time
	Disc 1
1)	Welcome to Violence	More Info...
2)	Bad Character	More Info...	0:02
3)	Microphone Mathematics	More Info...	0:03
4)	Basic Instinct	More Info...	0:02
5)	Goodmorning Sunshine	More Info...	0:03
6)	Discipline 99 Pt. 0	More Info...	0:02
7)	Low Class Conspiracy	More Info...	0:02
8)	Return of the Loop Digga	More Info...	0:03
9)	Real Eyes	More Info...	0:03
10)	Come On Feet	More Info...	0:03
11)	Bluffin	More Info...	0:02
12)	Boom Music	More Info...	0:02
13)	MHB's	More Info...	0:02
14)	Put a Curse On You	More Info...	0:01
15)	Astro Black	More Info...	0:03
16)	Green Power	More Info...	0:03
17)	Jazz Cats Pt. 1	More Info...	0:02
18)	24-7	More Info...	0:02
19)	The Unseen	More Info...	0:03
20)	Phony Game	More Info...	0:02
21)	Astro Travellin'	More Info...	0:03
22)	Blitz	More Info...	0:01
23)	Axe Puzzles	More Info...	0:02
24)	Discipline 99 Pt. 1	More Info...	0:03

Album: The Unseen
#	Song Title		Time
	Disc 1
1)	Welcome to Violence	More Info...
2)	Bad Character	More Info...	0:02
3)	Microphone Mathematics	More Info...	0:03
4)	Basic Instinct	More Info...	0:02
5)	Goodmorning Sunshine	More Info...	0:03
6)	Discipline 99 Pt. 0	More Info...	0:02
7)	Low Class Conspiracy	More Info...	0:02
8)	Return of the Loop Digga	More Info...	0:03
9)	Real Eyes	More Info...	0:03
10)	Come On Feet	More Info...	0:03
11)	Bluffin	More Info...	0:02
12)	Boom Music	More Info...	0:02
13)	MHB's	More Info...	0:02
14)	Put a Curse On You	More Info...	0:01
15)	Astro Black	More Info...	0:03
16)	Green Power	More Info...	0:03
17)	Jazz Cats Pt. 1	More Info...	0:02
18)	24-7	More Info...	0:02
19)	The Unseen	More Info...	0:03
20)	Phony Game	More Info...	0:02
21)	Astro Travellin'	More Info...	0:03
22)	Blitz	More Info...	0:01
23)	Axe Puzzles	More Info...	0:02
24)	Discipline 99 Pt. 1	More Info...	0:03

Performer Notes

Personnel includes: Quasimoto, Madlib, Mr. Herb, Medaphoar, Wildchild.
Personnel includes: Quasimoto, Madlib.
Quasimoto's The Unseen is one of the most imaginative albums of the new West Coast underground, a puzzling, psychedelic jazz-rap gem riddled with warped humor and fractured musical genius. Producer Madlib actually outdoes his inventive work on the Lootpack's debut album, Soundpieces: Da Antidote!, crafting deep, dreamy jazz loops littered with found sounds and wiggy vocal samples. Quasimoto's helium-huffing voice is actually Madlib's, electronically altered for an effect not unlike Prince's abandoned Camille project. It might put some listeners off as gimmicky, and it's really a shame if it does, because it isn't really the focal point of The Unseen's left-field brilliance. It's more of an added textural element for Madlib's off-kilter soundscapes and a vehicle for the cartoonish humor hinted at in his choice of samples. The lyrics are highly free-associative (that is to say, stoned beyond belief), and by turns paranoid, threatening, or hallucinatory. But it all melts into the warm, druggy haze of the music; unlike, say, the Wu-Tang Clan or Dr. Octagon, this dream isn't supposed to be a nightmare. Quas' scattershot flow isn't what you'd call technically accomplished, but that's by design -- he's supposed to be fragmented, not quite all there. The song structures are similarly loose, with rhymes coming from nowhere and disappearing just as quickly; the tracks are short (all under four minutes) and end abruptly, as though Quas is too blunted to think of anything else to say. (Madlib does appear as himself on occasion, and usually sounds just as noncommittal as his "collaborator.") Highlights are plentiful, and include the brilliant singles "Microphone Mathematics" and "Come on Feet," the bizarre trash-talking of "Bad Character" and "Put a Curse on You," and the joy-of-music cuts "Return of the Loop Digga" and "Jazz Cats, Pt. 1," which recount Madlib's obsession with record collecting and name-check his favorites. It takes some time to assimilate, but The Unseen gradually reveals itself as one of the most unique and rewarding albums of its era. ~ Steve Huey

Professional Reviews

Spin (1/01, p.73) - Ranked #17 in Spin's "Top 20 Albums of the Year [2000]".

Spin (10/00, pp.175-6) - 7 out of 10 - "...A giddily disorienting pastiche of warped snaps, resin-caked jazz, and crusty comedy record samples....he puts unpredictable spins on mundane subject matter..."

Alternative Press (10/00, p.107) - 3 out of 5 - "...A monotonous jazzy gray, and it's definitely an acquired taste."

The Wire (5/00, p.65) - "...He sounds perfect....the production is a fazed, dubby take on A Tribe Called Quest styled jazz beats....representing just about everything that makes HipHop great in the two triple zero."

CMJ (1/08/01, p.27) - Included in CMJ's "Best Hip-Hop Albums" of 2000.

CMJ (5/22/00, p.35) - "...Lootpack guru Madlib drops some serious and oddball heat on this side project...loosely based on Melvin Van Peebles' 'Sweet Sweetback's Baadassss Song'..."

Melody Maker (8/26/00, p.59) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...If comedy football manager Alan Ball turned his 'unique' vocal sound (think baby Spice with a sore throat) to hip-hop, it might sound like this..."

Mojo (Publisher) (3/01, p.22) - "...Witty sonic cut-ups and a homespun attention to detial make THE UNSEEN a treat..."

Mojo (Publisher) (p.112) - 4 stars out of 5 - "Madlib has dreamt-up a hip hop anti-hero who will endure."

NME (Magazine) (9/4/00, p.35) - 8 out of 10 - "...One more inspired step into, quite literally, THE UNSEEN....the most addictive record you'll spend your entire summer trying to decipher..."