Balance & Options

by DJ Quik

Product Description:

Personnel includes: DJ Quik (vocals); David Blake (vocals, various instruments, talk box); Mausberg, James Debarge, Will Hudspeth, Ham, Erick Sermon, Shaboobie, AMG, James Debarge, The Humpty Humpalicious Imposters, Doctah B. Sirus, Keith O'Derek, Digital Underground, Raphael Saadiq, Suga Free, Tamara Savage, George Archie, Jr., Courtney Branch, El Debarge (vocals); Shock G (various instruments); Warryn Campbell, Jr. (guitar, piano, drums); Rob Bacon, Jr. (guitar).

Recorded at Tha Hospital Studio & Skip Saylor Studios, Los Angeles, California.

BALANCE & OPTIONS displays DJ Quik at the top of his musical game. Taking a drastic stylistic turn from his previous projects, the new album showcases a growing musical maturity in its warm, soulful, funk-influenced grooves.

The set takes its musical cues from black music's past, running counter to the synthetic productions of much of current hip-hop. From the opening track "Change the Game", with its warm, soul-inflected keyboards, to the Roger Troutman vocoder refrain on "Did Y'all Feel Dat," the mood is clearly rooted in '70s funk. One of the album's highlights is the escapist party anthem "Pitch In on a Party," which evokes the champagne and cocaine decadence of the late '70s disco era. Its subtle grooves and tinkling percussion mimic the toasting of wineglasses, while a wah-wah guitar chugs along the background.