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Leaving aside some nerdy fanboy observations (why is there no room, for instance, for We'll Be Right Back?), What Does It All Mean?rounds up the greatest bits and pieces of cut-and-paste pioneer Steve Stein. The one-time New York advertising exec has been a formative influence on such artists as DJ Shadow, Coldcut, Cut Chemist, Girl Talk and Norman Cook ever since he and sound engineer pal Doug Di Franco (aka Double Dee) kicked off proceedings by entering a Tommy Boy remix competition. That produced the gloriously giddy Payoff Mix and set the Steinski train in motion.
There are many highlights here, especially The Motorcade Sped On, with its sampling of radio news reports about the JFK assassination, and James Brown and hip-hop collages. The second CD contains the fantastic Nothing to Fear, Steinski's hour-long mix produced for Coldcut's Solid Steelradio show. www.steinski.com
JIM CARROLL
Download tracks: The Motorcade Sped On, Lesson 3, The Payoff Mix