Hip Hop Exotica | Remix Magazine

The integration of ethnic instrumentation with hip-hop beats is nothing new, but Hip Hop Exotica does a lot more than merely throw in a worldly lick or two here and there. Producer Josquin Des Pres eloquently blends his West Coast recording experience and southern French origins to create a cutting-edge hip-hop sound that's deeply infused with cultural flava. Across 55 construction kits, arranged by tempo and key, he manages to set Western beats playing extraordinarily well with the Asian, Indian, Arabic, Latin American, Spanish and African influences of the library. Instrumentation includes live recordings on original baglamas, jubus, sitar, tabla, koto, guiro, Bolivian charango, rainstick, out, Greek bouzouki, mandolin, tribal flute, synth lute and more. Kits contain full mixes and component loops and a subfolder of individual drum tracks and single-drum hits.

Depending on your imagination, what you're reading may sound either cheesy or extremely cool. Believe me, it's the latter. Hip Hop Exotica had me envisioning bling-adorned DJs and rappers flying private jets to meet up with Arabian royalty at a sun-kissed Gulf resort, working a hot nightclub in London's melting-pot district at 3 a.m. or toking on hookah water pipes surrounded by gorgeous women at a swanky Middle Eastern cafe. And the concept simply works, with not an ounce of the DVD's 1.9 GB sounding contrived or over the top. The solid beats will definitely please finicky American programmers, but it's the instrumentation that will set you on a fresh path.