Editor’s Note: Our new, recurring “Albumism Recommends” series aims to shine a bright light on our favorite albums of the past, with an emphasis on the records that arguably never achieved the widespread or sustained attention they rightfully deserve. As you’ll see below, unlike our longer-form feature articles, we’ve intentionally kept the accompanying commentary to a minimum, so as to allow the great music to speak for itself.
We hope that you enjoy discovering (or rediscovering) these musical treasures and if you like what you hear, we encourage you to spread the good word far and wide so that others can experience these under-the-radar classics as well.
ARTIST: Downtown Science
TITLE: Downtown Science
RELEASED: January 12, 1991
LABEL: Def Jam/Columbia/Sony
Def Jam Records’ early 1990s output is fascinating. Amongst genre-defining releases by LL Cool J, Public Enemy and EPMD, the seminal imprint gave us Downtown Science. When the duo, comprised of emcee Kenneth “Bosco Money” Carabello and DJ/producer Sam “Sever” Citrin, put out their self-titled debut, it was the closest thing to an “experimental” album that the label had released to date.
Bosco Money is a solid presence on the mic, but the star of Downtown Science is the production, handled mostly by Sam Sever. Sever got his start doing drum programming for Mantronix, but really earned shine for his production chops on 3rd Bass’ The Cactus Album (1989). He’s masterful behind the boards on Downtown Science, drawing inspiration from traditional breakbeats to dusty grooves to heavy rock records. Combined with Bosco’s abstract tendencies, the album sits at the crossroads of Ultramagnetic MCs, Public Enemy, 3rd Bass and De La Soul.
The album’s trio of singles—“Radioactive,” “Room to Breathe” and “This Is a Visit”—all typify Downtown Science’s somewhat spacey and surreal proclivities. Lyrically, Bosco Money goes from throwing off-the-cuff freestyle rhymes on the rugged “Something Spanking New” to being goofily endearing on “If I Was.” Tracks like “Catch the Wave,” “Natural People” and “Summertime” are as blissfully chill as anything available at the time, while “Keep It On” ends the album with a healthy slab of James Brown-inspired funk.
In a year that featured albums with amazing production, Downtown Science is easily one of best-produced of 1991, and it’s enjoyably eclectic.
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