8 Tracks: No beef, just a Madlib beat
Madlib's music feels like a magic trick. On this edition of 8 Tracks, we bow down to Madlib's mastery, plus check out new music by Charly Bliss, Fana Hues and reminisce on an old Ted Leo record.
8 Tracks is your antidote to the algorithm. Each week, NPR Music producer Lars Gotrich, with the help of his colleagues, makes connections between sounds across time.
Where were you when you first heard a Madlib beat? Mine was 21 years ago at WUOG, the student-run station for the University of Georgia, where I was one of three music directors. Our desks were just stacks of CDs and hulking PCs; music was a constant in the office as we debated airplay and fielded phone calls from college radio publicists. Finals would have just ended, so when Madlib's "" spun up, the muggy waves of summer suddenly hit me with cut-up flute, fluttering orchestra sweeps, watery vibraphone, disembodied MCs and turntable scratches.
