For Your Ear Hole: Oh No - Dr. No's Oxperiment

Dr. No's Oxperiment is the latest in Stones Throw's nearly flawless line of instrumental releases and clearly cements Oh No's position alongside his brother Madlib and the dearly departed J Dilla as one of today's hottest beatsmiths. No uses a recipe of MPC2000 and finely chopped Middle Eastern samples to bake this flavorful platter of aural appetizers. The satisfying blend of Mediterranean funk goes down smooth and quick as not a single track is allowed to test your attention span, each one clocking under two minutes. Fans of the Chrome Children compilations will find Heavy's guitar sample familiar as it blasts open the album and you'll be hard pressed not to twist your pelvis to the delicious bass line of Exp Out The Ox. Other highlights include the dirty spy theme, My Luck and the Temple of Doom-ish Ohhhhhh. Every cut on Dr. No's is a seamless blend of banging beats and spicy world soul and proves that this other Michael Jackson is far more than the Beat Konducta's brother. (A+)