Riddim Warfare

Personnel: DJ Spooky (vocals, various instruments); Ambassador Jr. (vocals, scratches); Kool Keith, Sir Menelik, Prince Poetry, Pharoah Monch, Grisha Coleman, Killah Priest, Mariko Mori (vocals); Julia Scher (spoken vocals); Vinicius Cantuaria (acoustic guitar); Akin Atoms, Lucio Maia, Thurston Moore (guitar); Mica Gaugh (saxophone); Ben Neill (trumpet); Manny Oquendo (keyboards); Dhengue (bass); Karsh Kale, Pupilo (drums); Jorge Du Peixe, Gilmar Bola, Gira (tamboras); Toca Ogan, Marcos Matias (percussion); Chris Flam (programming).
Principally recorded at Bass Hit Recording, New York, New York.
Personnel: Lúcio Maia, Thurston Moore, Arto Lindsay (guitar); Micah Gaugh (saxophone); Manny Oquendo (keyboards); Chris Flam (programming).
Audio Mixer: Dave Darlington.
Recording information: Bass Hit Recording, New York, NY; Beat On Beat; Mindswerve Studios, New York, NY; Palace Theater, Sao Paolo, Brazil.
Paul Miller, AKA DJ Spooky, had a lot to live up to in following up CONFESSIONS OF A DEAD DREAMER. That album became an instant "illbient" classic, merging too many musical streams to enumerate, united by Spooky's reconstrunctionist ethic and adventurous DJ chops. On RIDDIM WARFARE, Spooky declines to play it safe, instead pushing the envelope even further. A major new development is the participation of rappers Kool Keith, Killah Priest, Organized Konfusion and others, who add an urgency to the proceedings that never becomes overbearing. As usual, Spooky comes off a bit messianic, determined to impart his socio-cultural observations and cerebral musings to listeners. But with an artist of Spooky's talents, the didacticism doesn't get in the way of the lush, varied textures he creates. Incorporating '70s funk, jazz, electronics, world music and his own electric and acoustic bass playing, Spooky remakes the world in his own image on RIDDIM WARFARE.