An Evening with the Sound Providers

iTunes Review

A production duo from San Diego, Sound Providers (Soulo and Jason Skills) have been dropping ultra-smooth, jazz-drenched hip-hop since the late '90s, when they debuted with the 12-inch "Dope Transmission." An Evening with the Sound Providers is their first full-length, released circa 2004. It collects many of their early singles, plus several new tracks. It sports great collaborations with underground favorites like Maspyke ("The Throwback"), Little Brother ("Braggin’ & Boasting"), Asheru of Unspoken Heard ("For Old Time's Sake"), and The Procussions ("5 Minutes"), as well as a bunch of nice little instrumentals. The music here is loaded with earthy piano loops, chill guitar licks, dusty drums, and mellow, laidback vibes all around. It’s basically the antithesis of modern rap production, with walls of synths, hyperactive stutter-snares, and techno jacks. This is for cats who miss the sound of early Tribe, Digable, and Pete Rock.