Mo' Wax Records: Gold or Beans?

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I bought most of these back in the mid '90s (the 'day'). I loved this sort of thing. I've never been in a fan of really in-your-face stuff and this chilled out stuff I liked a lot. Looking back on it, if you extract DJ Shadow from the equation, since he really became an entity in his own right after "Endtroducing...", I'm not sure there are that many great records. That said, I look back fondly on a lot of the ones I like; it feels like a golden age the early/mid '90s. Well... I think that about most periods give ten years or so in between.

So, what's good:

- The DJ shadow "Klub Mix" of Meiso. This is a belter. We used to play it at the students' union. People even danced! Does anyone know what the '70s funk sample at the end of this is "World without hatred..."?

- Palm Skin Productions "The Beast". Junglist Massive! I like this one too. I think they signed to Virgin and I bought a promo thing out of a record shop. It had a sticker on it saying "Ooh, this scratching is making me itch!". It wasn't a brilliant record.

- Clubbed to Death. Is cool; it's got cool drums.

- Olde Scottish "Wildstyle - the Krush Handshake". This is a funky wah wah thing on the still largely great Headz compilation.

- Awunsound "Symmetrical Jazz". This is a bloke from Edinburgh; a friend of mine knows him apparently. To my knowledge he's not put together another record, although I'm probably wrong here. I hope so, since this is a great record, even if it has 'jazz' in the title.

- La Funk Mob - just in general; everything I've heard here has been great.

- Blackalicious "Melodica", well, the "Swan Lake" track in particular, which is a smooth number to take you into the small hours of the night.

There are quite a number of dud records, but the duddest things for me are:

a) The records came in highly expensive daft packaging. I never cared about this and it just pushed the price up.
b) Things were continually re-issued with almost identical tracks on them, which seems to me a poor attempt to squeeze more money out of the punters.
c) Come 1996, the whole thing just dived into crap DJ compilations that sound like "the greatest Chill Out album in the world ever", most of which claimed to have one obscure DJ Shadow track on them, so that you would buy them.

― KeefW (kmw), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 19:19 (twenty-one years ago)

what was the death knell of hip-hop?

Sorry, but I do feel this way...

― PappaWheelie (PappaWheelie), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 19:29 (twenty-one years ago)

U.N.K.L.E. - "Garage Piano"

best song ever released/related to that label.

― gygax! (gygax!), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 19:31 (twenty-one years ago)

A really irritating label run by a guy who seemed like a really irritating jerk.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 19:32 (twenty-one years ago)

I think I still have a Prunes 12" that I remember liking. I think it's called "The Plot".

― mcd (mcd), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 19:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Search: The DJ Assault stuff that was mysteriously on there, Andrea Parker, part of the Headz series, DJ Shadow. The Headz stuff had some great moments. Releasing the Quannum stuff before they had that much stuff out in the US. Giving Nigo attention (and creating albums for him) when he was supposedly relevant in Japan, years before he got grabbed by the Pharrells and Gwens. The Liquid Liquid compilation/reissue thing.

I'm still iffy (but not willing to destroy) on the later stuff, especially with South as house band and the Richard File / James Lavelle version of UNKLE. There were so many artists that had one Mo'Wax release and parted company. There's a good (if schizoid) mix by the Psychonauts that covers most of the label's material but that's pretty much all they did at that time. The Prunes were the same way.

― mike h. (mike h.), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 19:42 (twenty-one years ago)

there's loads of good stuff! i'll tell you what later when i have time.

xps

― jed_ (jed), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 19:43 (twenty-one years ago)

"Big Soup"!

― jotai, Tuesday, 31 May 2005 20:30 (twenty-one years ago)

it all went downhill with the release of Deborah Anderson's single/album and the crap "Psyence Fiction"...

still, there are some really fantastic bits and pieces -- As One's "Planetary Folklore", DJ Krush (singles more than albums), La Funk Mob, U.N.K.L.E.'s "The Time Has Come", a zillion killer remixes, Dr. Octagon, Bubbatunes' "This is just a dance", the Jazz Hip Jap compilation (hot hot hot in 1994), Andrea Parker's "Melodious Thunk", the first appearance outside France of Air (that early work being their best, imo), Luke Vibert's "Big Soup", those RPM singles (who later became the slightly crap Runaways), Innerzone Orchestra, Urban Tribe, Sukia, the Headz comps...more gold than for sure...

― heywood jablomi (heywood), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 20:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Certainly "Modulor" yes... In fact, when I heard Air subsequent to this it was a big surprise that they were like what they actually are, since "Modulor" is such a Mo'Wax sounding track. I can't say I cared much for Headz 2 myself though, give or take a few tunes I already had.

Did't care much for the RPM singles either, although I'm listening now to see what I think. I thought I had a Runaways record there, and I do, but it's "Cherry Bomb" and I don't think this is who we're talking about!

― KeefW (kmw), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 20:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Did Mo'Wax release that Psychonauts track 'Hot Blood'? Classic, if so.

― Mil (Mil), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 21:11 (twenty-one years ago)

urban tribe!

― mullygrubbr (bulbs), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 21:12 (twenty-one years ago)

total classic.

― vahid (vahid), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 21:27 (twenty-one years ago)

this is the prime (electronic music) example of a label where 90% of the hate is directed at things other than the music (like the label head, for example)

― vahid (vahid), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 21:29 (twenty-one years ago)

You're probably right there vahid, although interestingly, Mo'Wax is one of the few labels I'd bother talking about an actual label rather than records themselves, since it seems like such an arbitrary thing to talk about. The others being late 80s, early 90s Creation, Early 70s Island and... well... That's probably it.

― KeefW (kmw), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 21:31 (twenty-one years ago)

the first South album is great - it's what the stone roses' second album should have sounded like if they'd had a goddamn clue.

― shine headlights on me (electricsound), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 22:17 (twenty-one years ago)

i think these are mostly classic all the way through.

Attica Blues - Blueprint and Tender (EP's)
Luke Vibert - A Polished Solid (EP)
Palmskin - The Beast remixes (esp the Ae remix)
Money Mark - Mark's Keyboard Repair, Third Version E.P.,
Unkle - The Time Has Come (remixes)
Shadow - In/Flux, Lost and Found (but most stuff really)
Krush - Kemuri, A Whim, Meiso and Strictly Turntablized
Blackalicious - A2G EP, NIA
Air - Modular
sam Sever and the ROTLA - What;s that Sound?
Andrea Parker - Melodius Thunk
Chief XL - Fully charged on Planet X
iO - Claire E.P.
La Funk Mob - Motorbass get Phunked up - the Plasticman remix (probably the label's greatest ever track)
Octagon - Ecologyst

...as well as other tracks scattered around on other releases.

― jed_ (jed), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 22:52 (twenty-one years ago)

i forgot they put out that iO thing. thats a good record. patrick pulsinger doesn't get enough love.

― mullygrubbr (bulbs), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 22:56 (twenty-one years ago)

i think the track came out on cheap first and they added some remixes, i love the sloooow Mark Broom remix of "Claire".

I very much agree re. Pulsinger.

― jed_ (jed), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 22:59 (twenty-one years ago)

i have the cheap double cd...haven't heard the broom remix!

― mullygrubbr (bulbs), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 23:07 (twenty-one years ago)

do you have "civilized" by sluts and strings and 909's you can mail me, mully?

i'd send you the broom mix but i don't have a CD of it and can't convert from Vinyl.

― jed_ (jed), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 23:11 (twenty-one years ago)

i'm not sure. its on one of those freestyle files comps and i think its the one i don't have. i'll check when i get home. otherwise i only have carrera rmxed.

― mullygrubbr (bulbs), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 23:17 (twenty-one years ago)

thanks!

― jed_ (jed), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 23:20 (twenty-one years ago)

i actually had that Freestyle Files comp AND Carrera but both have gone AWOL

― jed_ (jed), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 23:28 (twenty-one years ago)

i have the broom remix AND the andrea parker remix AND carrera.

i will YSI the files when i get home from work ...

― vahid (vahid), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 23:41 (twenty-one years ago)

thankyou vahid!

― jed_ (jed), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 23:42 (twenty-one years ago)

np!! i suggest we try to list the incontrovertibly "DUD" releases / hijinx mowax pulled than to list the classics, as it would prob be a bit more revealing...

― vahid (vahid), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 23:43 (twenty-one years ago)

$300- sneakers, c/d?

ihttp://www.snug.jp/brand/images/PA164079%20DUNK%20HI%20SB%20UNKLE.jpg

― vahid (vahid), Tuesday, 31 May 2005 23:45 (twenty-one years ago)

is there a blame disc on mo wax? or is it justice maybe? i remember seeing it in cheap bins... very moxay cover. blue with the title in quasi graffiti tag style? whats that like? or am i hallucinating again?

― mullygrubbr (bulbs), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 00:21 (twenty-one years ago)

i think you're hallucinating!

they did put put some purely D'n'Bass EP's though. Innervisions (J.Majik), Solo and Aura, Solo and JT (the latter two on MoWax Excursions) - maybe some others too, i'm not sure.

― jed_ (jed), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 00:29 (twenty-one years ago)

ah, its on hydrogen jukebox

cover

― mullygrubbr (bulbs), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 00:51 (twenty-one years ago)

All of Vibert's stuff on the label, 'Belle Isle Tech', most of Shadow's stuff and 'The Rocking Chair' by Andrea Parker (or was this on some other label?) justify its existence, no sweat

― DJ Mencap0))), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 08:42 (twenty-one years ago)

James Lavelle was not a "really irritating jerk" but an extremely nice fellow with whom I frequently exchanged words of chat either across the counter at Honest Jon's or in the Oxford Tube, so don't try it.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 08:45 (twenty-one years ago)

How come no one's mentioned "Major Force", the compilation of late 80s - early 90s Japanese instrumental hip hop? That's one of the best compilations I've ever bought, and about the only instrumental hip hop record I really love.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 09:17 (twenty-one years ago)

OTFM, Tuomas, that compilation is still on of my most justified big-spend rekkids ever. Love it.

― N_RQ, Wednesday, 1 June 2005 09:21 (twenty-one years ago)

I think my favourite track is that one minute song where some Japanese dude raps his heart out with an incredibly thick accent and silly flow... Gotta love the effort.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 09:30 (twenty-one years ago)

fax me a request... 'the return of the original art-form' is an absolute motherfucker.

― N_RQ, Wednesday, 1 June 2005 09:32 (twenty-one years ago)

I collected just about everything released on Mo'Wax up until about 1996.

For me the real crowning glory will always be DJ Krush's Kemuri - this is probably the finest example of the whole era, and pretty much sums up everything about what the genre had been about and what it would become (good and bad).

Plus it sounds great with the acapella version of PE's By the Time I get to Arizona.

― Huey (Huey), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 10:05 (twenty-one years ago)

But Olde Scottish's (Howie B) Wildstyle - Krush Handshake was also a winner (real drums).

As was UNKLE's The Time Has Come EP- the heavy double picture disc was the finest thing they ever did. (Plus doesn't it have Josh / DJ Shadow at the beginning proclaiming how "trip hop" is the future? Didn't he later slag off this term?)

― Huey (Huey), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 10:07 (twenty-one years ago)

I collected just about everything released on Mo'Wax up until about 1996.

Quick caveat - doing this obviously meant 90% of what I got was soporific, soulless, noodling crap, even touching on Acid Jazz for records MW001-9. Hello, Record & Tape Exchange!

― Huey (Huey), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 10:09 (twenty-one years ago)

The Liquid Liquid compilation they put out was also good- and probably 5 years before the whole punk funk revival thing as well...

xpost: Who cares whther Lavelle was a wanker or not?

― Neil Stewart (Neil Stewart), Wednesday, 1 June 2005 10:42 (twenty-one years ago)

eleven months pass...

Found out, entirely by accident that the '70s funk sample at the end of Meiso I mentioned in this question is "Brand new man with the master plan" by Prince Geno and the Tailor Mades, dating from 1974.

― KeefW (kmw), Friday, 19 May 2006 18:06 (twenty years ago)

The Runaways' Classic Tales album really held so much instrumental hip hop up as the jazz-loop piss art others were content to put out. That album has some crazy imagination at times and some sublime skills when working within more conventional genre templates. Which is what makes the second album such a disappointment.

As for Mo' Wax, nothing but love. It certainly saved my uni years from being 100% suck.

― Hal! Jordan! HAL! JORDAN! (Barima), Friday, 19 May 2006 18:42 (twenty years ago)

The Major Force boxset is stellar!

Absolutely impossible to get to hold of, amazing ahead of their time mash up mental hip hop

― aqua, Friday, 19 May 2006 18:55 (twenty years ago)

two years pass...

The Major Force boxset is stellar!
Absolutely impossible to get to hold of, amazing ahead of their time mash up mental hip hop

found today for £15 in mint condition.
loving it.
after years of ignoring my mo'wax collection, today this sounds really good ..

― mark e, Friday, 7 November 2008 14:58 (seventeen years ago)

mo wax lol

I just found the Urban Tribe LP for cheap.

― WoW... An Online RPG Funeral Gets Ambushed (gnarly sceptre), Friday, 7 November 2008 15:09 (seventeen years ago)

seems like the world has definitely moved on and the collector scum market has taken a hit.
someone had definitely offloaded their much prized mo'wax collection (cds - i never checked the vinyl selection) to a local shop, clearly not getting the £££ that they would have done via ebay a couple of years ago.
still i aint complaining.

― mark e, Friday, 7 November 2008 15:16 (seventeen years ago)

load of old fucking beans

― siskin/skulls, Friday, 7 November 2008 15:40 (seventeen years ago)

ten years pass...

Awunsound "Symmetrical Jazz". This is a bloke from Edinburgh; a friend of mine knows him apparently. To my knowledge he's not put together another record, although I'm probably wrong here. I hope so, since this is a great record, even if it has 'jazz' in the title.

Anyone know what the vibes sample is on this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMA2n3ok6_Y

― Ned Trifle X, Wednesday, 24 April 2019 16:09 (seven years ago)

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