Steinski What Does It All Mean? 1983-2006 Retrospective CD

Among the most influential, if not unlikely, examples of early sampladelic hip-hop came about as a result of a remix contest for Tommy Boy Records in 1983. Former ad man Steve Stein teamed up with studio wiz Double Dee to create "Lesson 1 - the Payoff Mix," a dizzying collage of funk breaks and pop culture sound bites. WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN? 1983-2006 collects nearly everything the pair recorded together, along with Steinski's later solo efforts, including an hour-long mashup mix prepared for the BBC radio show, Solid Steel. An essential collection of early plunderphonic art that is sure to interest casual listeners and mash-up enthusiasts alike.

Liner Note Author: Hua Hsu.Rolling Stone (p.72) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[What's] impressive about this handsome anthology of barely legal rarities is how well tracks work as songs. The early party joints build and ebb with intractable momentum, and later pieces tell unlikely stories."
The Wire (p.57) - "[U]tterly essential....[A] double disc retrospective of the greatest cut 'n' paste artist this side of William Burroughs and Kurt Schwitters."
Vibe (p.61) - "The tracks on this stupefyingly essential, surprisingly cerebral, legally questionable two-CD retrospective of Steinski's mastermixes/breakbeat pranks are all so important to the history of hip hop, they should come with a textbook."
Blender (Magazine) (p.79) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[H]is music is a utopian version of how culturally cross-referential -- and funny -- sound collage might be."
Clash (magazine) (p.122) - "[This retrospective] takes in a staggering amount of craftily lifted bits and pieces from the rich rap tapestry, and melds them into a mammoth two-disc mix collection."
Record Collector (magazine) (p.94) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Whether kickin' it in a party groove or getting political his esoteric architectures of sampology are sheer faultless science..."