The Pharcyde

L.A.-based hip-hop label Delicious Vinyl has enjoyed a renaissance and a reimagining in 2008. The centerpiece of their nostalgia trip was RMXXOLOGY, which took classics from the label's catalog–by influential rappers like Young MC, Tone Loc and The Pharcyde–and handed them off to contemporary scene stars like Peaches and Hot Chip. Brother Reade's Bobby Evans goes a step further with his party-pleasing full-length mix of The Pharcyde, which offers different interpretations of the group's enduring gems.

Spliced and diced over 40 tracks, Bobby Evans Mix offers a short attention span crash course in one of the most influential alternative hip-hop groups of the '90s. Rather than self-aggrandizing tales of guns, beefs and misogynistic conquests, The Pharcyde rapped about weed and told self-deprecating stories of girls out of their league. The Evans approach allows the listener to fondly revisit (or discover) the glory of some of the originals, while bleeding in a variety of other interpretations–which proves to be a much better approach rather than just settling for a single representative remix of each track.

One of the group's shiniest moments is "Passin' Me By," keeper of one of the most indelible beats in hip-hop. On Bobby Evans Mix, it has five short tracks devoted to it. The first is an intro from Fatlip, which sets the scene for the creation of the song; while it's interesting to get some insight on the creative process, these history lessons are jarring when spliced into the mix. Then we get about a minute of the brilliant original. The second verse jumps into a Brixton Flavour remix, the third to the Fly As Pie remix, and finally the fourth to Hot Chip's excellent treatment from RMXXOLOGY.

Other highlights include the meditative "Runnin'" (which includes a brief instrumental remix from the late Jay Dee, a key Pharcyde collaborator) and the jubilant group dis "Ya Mama." But aside from those pesky skits and interludes, there really aren't any lowlights–and even those moments pass by in a hurry. The Pharcyde have always been friends of the party, and Bobby Evans Mix is certainly no exception. Light it up and pass it around.

—Adam McKibbin
12.22.08