Review: ***B-STOCK: Record ever so slightly warped with very light surface marks/smudges, but otherwise in perfect working order***
As visitors to his website will likely note after a quick scroll, "John Herndon is a drummer, music producer, and founding member of the group Tortoise." He's also credited with work under the flags Isotope 217, Five Style, Starlicker, Exploding Star Orchestra, Pulsar Quartet, not to mention A Grape Dope - just one of the Los Angeline's identities. And certainly one of the most musically forward thinking.
For any newcomers in the room, let's just say AGD has laid out more head-nodding beats than most of us have had hot dinners, setting benchmark after benchmark for hip hop instrumentals with jazz and electronic trappings. Here remixed by five equally astute names - Laetitia Sadier, Four Tet, Jeff Parker and Roberto Carlos Lange (no relation to the footballing titan, sadly) - this is maybe not the most definitive introduction to Herndon, but it's a mighty fine release packing plenty of variety and depth nonetheless
… Read more