Bringin' Style By The Ton - A.D.O.R.

A.D.O.R. - Enter The Center (Pete Rock Mix), Enter The Center (DNA Mix) & Enter The Center (BaBanzi Mix)
taken from Enter The Center 12'' (Tru Reign/Anansi, 1997)

Apologies for the lack of posts over the last week or so. A heavy workload and a bank holiday weekend have occupied my time admirably for the last six days and the unfortunate victim of aforementioned work/frivolities has been the blog. Anyway, the bank holiday is over, it's the half term beak and so I've got some time on my hands again: let's get into it.

The problem with collecting vinyl singles is that they don't exactly offer terrific value for money. Of course, you get a product which has many benefits over other formats, and I am certainly not denying the appeal of vinyl, but when you can quite easily pay £5 - £10 on any one single purchase then the cost per track is extortionate when compared to that of a whole album. On top of this, it was pretty much a general rule for me that although extra cuts on top of the a-side were always enjoyable, they were essentially superfluous and there would always be one standout track that overshadowed the others. At a guess, I would estimate that well over half of my vinyl collection is occupied by records that may have been played hundreds of times on one side and as little as once on the other. Unfortunately, penny pinching and vinyl collecting are not two activities that sit well together.

So what has this got to do with this A.D.O.R. 12'' released in 1997? When I got a hold of this particular slab of vinyl, I didn't really even know who A.D.O.R. was, and was lead to this release for one reason only: there's a Pete Rock beat on here. An enjoyable mid-tempo banger with signature Soul Brother horns, filtered guitar sample and crispy drum hits, the lead single was no disappointment and I was pleased that my random wanderings through EBay had delivered something of genuine quality. What is so impressive about this 12'' though is that included are two other mixes of the song that easily stand their ground against Pete's contribution, and in fact, I have never been able to make a definitive decision as to my favourite as each different version is truly excellent.

The DNA Productions (I have no idea who they are either) mix feels more upbeat than the Pete Rock joint and there are several things that I love about this track. The use of sleighbells never fails to capture my interest, and they work well here, shimmering over the bouncy bassline below to produce the most club friendly mix of 'Enter The Center'. Listen out for my favourite moment which occurs around the 1.05 mark as the synth string loop cuts out, bassline warbles for a half bar on its own only for the sleighbells and drums to be thrown back into the mix: it's so simple, but it's devastatingly effective.

Finally we come to the 'BaBanzi' mix produced by Willie Gunz, a relatively little known figure who seems to have only put together a handful of production credits including a cut or two on A.D.O.R.'s full length album as well as posting a track on the YGz's 'Street Nigga' release in '93 and with Supreme NTM towards the end of the same decade. This is a shame as this mix demonstrates his ability behind the boards and if push came to shove, this would be the version I would favour if I had to pick one over the others. Whereas both the Pete Rock and DNA mixes feel quite light and airy, Gunz flips the script with his version to produce a much more sinister and brooding soundscape. The haunting piano loop works exceptionally well when matched with the heavy drum track, and the chorus vocal loop that also appears in Rock's version feels eerier and more threatening in this context. This is one of those cuts that captures that dark, gritty boom bap sound with great effect and it feels almost epic in its scope: it's a serious banger that will have you nodding your head again and again.

Lyrically, A.D.O.R. has always been one of those cats who I feel a little lukewarm about. I think he does a good job of combining a decent flow with engaging content, but his style is by no means breathtaking and the delivery here is enjoyable but relatively forgettable. The reason why this 12'' is so successful is that each mix puts a different spin on the vocal performance: it feels like A.D.O.R.'s words were meant to go with each beat individually rather than simply being laid over three random pieces of production. So often when you hear a remix of a track there remains a sense that the vocals don't quite fit, but with 'Enter The Center' each track has its own clear sense of identity, working with the MC's performance on the mic to create three coherent and cohesive pieces of music in their own right.

I don't really know what happened with A.D.O.R.'s 'Shock Frequency' release as there seem to have been a few different versions that made it to the shelves. Although they are all basically the same, I know that no single edition contains all three of these mixes so if you already have the album then be sure to pick up the version(s) that you may be missing as each one brings something different to the table. This is one of only a handful of 12''s from my collection that must have suffered from equal wear on both sides, and is still a release that is able to divide my own opinion as to my favourite five or so years after I bought it: hit the link, indulge in some quality hip hop and see which is yours.