Rob Swift Albums (7)
What The Critics Say
After his very public split from the X-Ecutioners in 2004, Rob Swift decided to continue his work as one of the world's best DJs by going the route of the solo artist. In 2005, Swift released War Games, the ideas for which he had been developing since September 11, 2001. With War Games, Swift wanted to show his intellectual side, not just the scratching ability he had consistently demonstrated with his old band, and while initially the DJ admitted that the album reflected his negative feelings toward the Bush administration and its behavior regarding the war on terror, he later recanted and explained that he was instead trying to present an unbiased picture of the situation in order to give his listeners something to think about. In reality, unbiased is the wrong word to use. But that there's an attempt to show more than one side of the argument can certainly be allowed. Many of the tracks consist of news clips, both real and made up, and not just from one perspective (though the more conservative views sometimes seem to have a particularly phony sound to them). "Mad Wrist," for example, is about the horrific chaos after the bombing of the presumably American town "Metropolis," and "41 Bullets" details the real-life shooting of an innocent man, Amadou Diallo, by four New York City police officers. Not unexpectedly, President Bush himself is often sampled, including a 39-second clip of his explanation for going to war ("our aim is a democratic peace...this great republic will lead the cause of freedom"), which then moves very purposefully into a track comparing the Vietnam and Iraq Wars, and finally finishes with various samples admitting the nonexistence of weapons of mass destruction. The rest of the album deals mostly with poverty and racism, including a moving remix of Main Source's "Another Friendly Game of Baseball" that has a new live vocal track from Large Professor, and a wry explanation of the "vicious cycle" of poverty in "A Ghetto Poem." With such depressing subject matter, it is not surprising that Swift chooses dark, even scary, samples and heavy scratches to carry the album, which, by the way, remains on par with his previous releases. War Games is an ominous soundtrack to the DJ's perspective on the state of the contemporary world, and while it does lean more toward the left, those disagreeing with Swift shouldn't feel ostracized from the album. It's complex, intelligent, and provocative, and it's certainly worth listening to. ~ Marisa Brown, All Music Guide
'OuMuPo, Vol. 2'
Release Date 10/19/2004
Tracks 9
Label Ici d'Ailleurs
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What The Critics Say
In the 1960s, French surrealists Raymond Queneau and François Le Lionnais started the literary movement Ouvroir de Littérature Potentielle, or OuLiPo (which translated means Workshop for Potential Literature), and which was designed to foment the creation of new forms of writing by imposing limits upon it. From that came other branches for painting, film, music, cartoons, and even cooking. Two of these spinoffs, Ouvroir de Musique Potentielles (OuMuPo, for music) and Ouvroir de Bandes Dessinées Potentialles (OuBaPo, for comic strips), were used together in the French label Ici d'Ailleurs' OuMuPo series. The guidelines that Ici d'Ailleurs imposed insisted that the end of the 42-minute album would be the same as the beginning (so that the whole thing could be listened to continuously), that the music of at least six artists on the O1O1 electronic division of the label would be used, that there would be a short musical passage acting as the theme, and that the producer would choose a personal constraint. The 16-page accompanying booklet also had its own set of restrictions. Former X-Ecutioner DJ Rob Swift and artist Étienne Lécroart worked together for OuMuPo, Vol. 2. Swift chose a segment of a song from French rapper Gravité Zero to act as the theme of the album, and imposed upon himself the rule of having his mother choose the titles on the record and to never mix before midnight. Now, the question is if the nine-track record that Swift produced is really much different than any other remixed collection. Yes, there is the repetition of a theme; yes, the album begins and ends with the same clip; yes, six different artists have songs used. But if this is really an extraordinary leap from the usual realms of DJing, it's not obvious. Which isn't to say it isn't good: Swift is a talented and highly respected DJ, and he produces a congruous album that doesn't depart drastically from the original songs, keeping their sound and feel while adding his own scratches and well-executed effects. The melodies can be haunting and dark (like in Micro:Mega's "Annex 6") or bluesy and funky (Bästard's "It Ain't No Funny at All" and I N Fused's "Countryside"), but they all work together to form a nicely functioning whole. OuMuPo, Vol. 2 certainly underlines the diversity of Ici d'Ailleurs and Swift's ability to mix practically any kind of music, and it must have been fun to make, but does it achieve the originality the creators of the movement hoped for? Well, probably not. ~ Marisa Brown, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Turntablist Rob Swift gets a little help and inspiration aplenty from his friends and heroes on Sound Event, an explosive and intelligent collection of wicked scratching, in-the-pocket beats, startling imagery, and whiz-kid wordplay. Recalling his first impressive encounter with stream-of-conscious rapper Supernatural, Swift passes the mic over to the freestyling MC to herald the second coming (i.e., Swift's second solo release), tethering the titles of each track into a poetic diatribe. "2 3 Break" incorporates kinetic free jazz riffing atop a hypnotic drum loop that resonates with the rattle of a loose snare. With Bob James, D-Styles, and Swift's mom, Clara Aguilar, onboard, "Salsa Scratch" tears down the barrier between Latino tradition and hip-hop. "The Ghetto" introduces a Jimi Hendrix-like rhythm guitar motif punctuated by a legato horn solo as a canvass for a fierce dialogue detailing the hard truths of growing up on the wrong side of the tracks. Progressive and engaging, Sound Event is as important as its title suggests. ~ Tom Semioli, All Music Guide
'Airwave Invasion'
Release Date 6/8/2001
Tracks 14
Label Triple Threat
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What The Critics Say
The mix-tape world always expects a little bit more from anyone in the X-Ecutioners camp, mainly because they haven't disappointed in the past. Rob Swift makes normal DJs embarrassed to hear themselves, but is an inspiration by his own example. He's the kind of DJ that can make an entirely new beat with two records, and is a true force behind where turntablism is and will be beyond 2001. Swift takes more of a funk and soul ride with this record, plus his usual breakbeats and skits. There's also some key appearances on the Future Flava radio show hosted by legendary producers Pete Rock and Marley Marl. Those that are looking for the latest, hottest hip-hop records cut and diced will have to look elsewhere, but with the number of those mixes floating around, that kind of thing won't be hard to find. What's found here is a fresh little break from the norm by a DJ whose name is synonymous with turntable skill. ~ Brad Mills, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Directly influenced by Herbie Hancock's "Rockit," an early melding of jazz and hip-hop, The Ablist is Swift's attempt to introduce the turntable as a virtuosic instrument capable of being played with the same feeling and skill as any other instrument. He uses the turntable in various contexts, from solo scratching to full band. Much of the album is stellar jazz-inflected hip-hop, even if it falls somewhat short of the incredibly high goals of its composer, but those high goals are what make The Ablist such a thrilling listen. Many songs use the turntable in ways that have not been explored. On "What Would You Do?," Swift's scratches act as a sort of instrumental answer to the question posed. "Fusion Beats" shows that the turntable can be a jamming instrument as well, with some nice interplay with keyboards on what is actually some pretty straight jazz. Turntables are also brought into a full-band context on "Modern Day Music" and "All that Scratching Is Making Me Rich!" "Modern Day Music" features the band's three MCs and Swift's DJ Premier-like cutting up of words and phrases over a deep groove. Swift's spare style of cutting often recalls Premier, and his production skills are similar to Large Professor, emphasizing rolling bass and swinging but steady beats. Overall, Swift has crafted a strong personal statement. The album echoes old-school skills without devolving into a pastiche of past hip-hop styles or following commercial rap trends. Instead, The Ablist suggests directions in which hip-hop can go to remain viable. The album doesn't entirely follow through on all its promises, and Swift doesn't always reach his goals, which can make the album a frustrating listen at times. Overall, however, The Ablist redefines the turntable as a musical instrument that can bring new dimensions to both structured and improvised music, and it shows that Swift is capable of some incisive music that works outside the normal confines of turntablist music. ~ Stanton Swihart, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
After hearing Soulful Fruit, it's hard to tell whether Rob Swift is a better composer or turntable wizard, because he's melded the two so well on his first solo album. A member of the X-Men, Swift is the kind of DJ who makes you wonder why the turntablist element is so often neglected on hip-hop albums. The turntable is undeniably at the very core of hip-hop, and with a skill set as refined as Swift's, it just doesn't make sense why more MCs aren't looking to talented DJs to help them produce that elusive classic album. This record extends itself to many forms of music, including hip-hop, jazz, funk, breaks, turntablism, and soul, and accomplishes what few artists have been able to do over a full album -- create a solid musical balance. There is a 14-minute live battle between Swift and Rahzel (the now famous beatboxer from the Philadelphia-based Roots crew), pitting beatboxing against turntablism and thereby creating something truly exciting to listen to. ~ Brad Mills, All Music Guide
