CD Reviews

Fakts One

Long Range | Greenstreets

By CHRIS FARAONE | July 22, 2008

3.0 Stars

Fakts One was the Perceptionists’ DJ behind Mr. Lif and Akrobatik when the group pushed their black dialogue past Boston, into the arms of El-P at Def Jux, and onto Rolling Stone’s top-albums-of-the-year list. Since then, Fakts has been AWOL; it would seem that not even his close friends get birthday calls. Long Range is the guest-heavy production disc that disappeared with the man and the myth about five years ago. Fakts never built a repertoire deep enough to secure his own specific sound, but on Long Range he proves he can dip into a variety of styles and cater tracks around any MC’s individual tastes. The Grayskul cut is eerie, with cranked rock guitars scattered on the hook. J-Live connects over an intricate, rolling sound tapestry that’s mixed so that his lessons don’t fall through the seams; the Little Brother track sounds as if it had come off 9th Wonder’s boards. The highlights are Universal’s “U from the Q,” “Longevity” with Cali Agents, and Rocklyn’s “Life Music” — all of which suggest that Fakts was inches away from coming into a vibe that was not only very much his own but very much hot to death.

Related: Review: Oak Lonetree, Lava + 2, Soul training, Bigmouth strikes again, More

Topics: CD Reviews , Entertainment, Hip-Hop and Rap, Music, More

Comments

Add a Comment

view all

[ 11/23 ] Rebecca Cline Ensemble @ Recital Hall 1W

[ 11/23 ] Sunshine Riot @ O’Brien’s

[ 11/23 ] "Night of the Living Dead Head" @ Zuzu

[ 11/23 ] Open Jam Night @ Dodge Street Bar & Grill

[ 11/23 ] Tufts Flute Ensemble @ Tufts University Granoff Music Center

ARTICLES BY CHRIS FARAONE

REVIEW: THE BLIND SIDE | November 17, 2009
It’s tough for any self-respecting critic to refrain from joyously tackling a Sandra Bullock movie — so it’s a good thing The Blind Side isn’t one.

SWOLLEN MEMBERS | ARMED TO THE TEETH | November 18, 2009
I’m not completely sure why the mere mention of Swollen Members rubs so many underground rap snobs the wrong way.

DUDLEY NO LONGER SQUARE | November 11, 2009
Virtually desolate Dudley Square needed dining alternatives to deep-fried heart attacks, so in 2005, organizers with Haley House — the 43-year-old South End–based charity foundation — opened the Corner Shop Bakery Café.

LETTER RIP | November 12, 2009
Hollywood celebrities who fancy themselves pols and pundits don’t just bring impassioned everyman views to the legislative banquet.

ALLAH PEOPLE IN THE HOUSE | November 11, 2009
“Muslim hip-hop is not like Christian rock,” says Yusuf, the Merrimack Valley half of the Allah-inspired Boston-Lowell tag team Blak Madeen.

See all articles by: CHRIS FARAONE

Most Viewed

Most Emailed

WE'RE KILLING THE OCEANS
I meet world-renowned undersea photojournalist Brian Skerry at Legal Seafoods, across from the New England Aquarium, where he's the explorer in residence. He orders a chicken Caesar salad.

REVISITING THE GREATEST HARVARD-YALE GAME
It takes some doing to make Harvard look like an underdog in anything. But Harvard Beats Yale, 29-29 — Kevin Rafferty's 2008 movie (out now on DVD) and new book (released this past month) about the famous football rivalry — does just that.

REVIEW: PLANET 51
The opening for the latest animated kids’ fantasy is promising — but it’s for another movie.

REVIEW: THE BLIND SIDE
It’s tough for any self-respecting critic to refrain from joyously tackling a Sandra Bullock movie — so it’s a good thing The Blind Side isn’t one.

KENNEDY, CATHOLIC CHURCH, AND POLITICS OF COMPROMISE
US Representative Patrick Kennedy's confrontation with Providence Bishop Thomas J. Tobin over abortion and health-care reform has soaked up quite a bit of ink.

WE'RE KILLING THE OCEANS
I meet world-renowned undersea photojournalist Brian Skerry at Legal Seafoods, across from the New England Aquarium, where he's the explorer in residence. He orders a chicken Caesar salad.

REVISITING THE GREATEST HARVARD-YALE GAME
It takes some doing to make Harvard look like an underdog in anything. But Harvard Beats Yale, 29-29 — Kevin Rafferty's 2008 movie (out now on DVD) and new book (released this past month) about the famous football rivalry — does just that.

GROUP EFFORT
If you're inclined to play punk rock, chances are you've got a self-esteem problem. It's not an æsthetic that attracts the well-adjusted. Exhibit A: Mark Lind. As bassist and frontman of the Ducky Boys, he's opened for Rancid, U.S. Bombs, and Flogging Molly.

TAXING CATHOLICS
Should the Roman Catholic Church, and the various subsidiary groups and organizations that exist under its umbrella and operate at its direction, be entitled to state- and federal-tax exemptions?