Arabian Prince - Innovative Life: The Anthology 1984-89

This anthology serves as the definitive document of Arabian Prince’s groundbreaking electro work. A pioneering and innovative West Coast  hip-hop DJ-Producer, Arabian Prince was at the forefront of the electro-rap  scene alongside legends such as Egyptian Lover and the World Class Wreckin’  Cru. Under the pseudonym Professor X he was one of the founding members of N.W.A., and it was the gangsta rap phenomenon he helped to create which swept  aside the electro he truly loved. Recorded between 1984 and 1989,  these are truly innovative club records: hard, stripped-back and possessing a  playfulness and experimentation that’s still sounds fresh today. From the  supposedly autobiographical and hard-as-hell ‘Innovative Life’ (featuring Dr.  Dre on heavy breathing) to the playful ‘Let’s Hit The Beach’ (featuring  seagull sound effects) Arabian Prince shows his way of infusing his  ‘techno-funk’ with an exuberance that makes these more than just 1980s club  tools: they’re an insight into a more open era and a glimpse at what might  have been had ‘Straight Outta Compton’ and its progeny not swept all before  them (making Arabian Prince’s appearance on the cover of that record, and on  the cut ‘Something 2 Dance 2’ , seem nigh-on ironic in retrospect). The  anthology’s importance is better explained in a 20-page booklet that locates  these recordings in the rise and fall of LA’s electro and electro-rap scene  and includes unseen photos, posters and a timeline of West Coast electro. In addition, Arabian Prince has recently appeared on both  volumes of Stones Throw’s ‘Chrome Children’ compilation series, the ‘2K8 : B-Ball Zombie War’ compilation and also recently revived Professor X for Rotterdam’s Clone label. Uk reviews confirmed in Plan B, The  Wire, HHC and Record Collector.

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