''Subliminal Simulation'' is the second
studio album
An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
by Canadian
hip hop
Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
group
Dream Warriors, released in 1994 in Canada and worldwide in 1995, on
EMI
EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...
/
Pendulum Records. The original duo, King Lou and Capital Q, expanded to include
Spek
Hussain Yoosuf, better known by his stage name Spek, is a Canadian hip hop musician. He is best known for his singles "Smell the Coffee" and "I'm a Hippie". He is a former member of the Canadian hip hop pioneers, Dream Warriors, and, more recentl ...
and DJ Luv (
Michie Mee
Michelle Ann Camille McCullock (born November 1, 1970), better known by her stage name Michie Mee, is a Canadian rapper and actress. Canada's first notable female Master of Ceremonies, MC, she is considered a national hip hop music, hip-hop pionee ...
's former DJ).
Background
Following their well-received debut album, ''
And Now the Legacy Begins
''And Now the Legacy Begins'' is the debut album by Canadian hip hop duo Dream Warriors. It was released on April 23, 1991, by 4th & B'way Records, with an international release through Island Records. ''And Now the Legacy Begins'' is regarded as ...
'', Dream Warriors' second effort featured appearances by
Guru
Guru ( ; International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''guru'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian religions, Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: tr ...
and
DJ Premier
Christopher Edward Martin (born March 21, 1966), known professionally as DJ Premier (also known as Preemo), is an American record producer and DJ. He has been frequently lauded as one of hip hop's greatest producers by publications such as '' ...
of
Gang Starr
Gang Starr was an American Hip-hop, hip hop duo, consisting of Houston-born record producer DJ Premier and Boston-based rapper Guru (rapper), Guru.
Gang Starr was at its height from 1989 to 2003, and is considered a widely influential MC-and-pr ...
and Butterfly of
Digable Planets
Digable Planets () is an American hip hop trio formed in 1987. The trio is composed of rappers Ishmael "Butterfly" Butler, Mariana "Ladybug Mecca" Vieira, and Craig "Doodlebug" Irving. The group is notable for their contributions to the subgen ...
. The collaboration "I've Lost My Ignorance" was originally released as a
12" single
The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12) is a type of vinyl (polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a "single" or a few related sound tracks on each surface, compar ...
in 1991, though the album version has a different beat. Continuing the
jazz rap
Jazz rap (also jazz hop or jazz hip hop) is a fusion of jazz and hip hop music, as well as an alternative hip-hop subgenre, that developed in the late 1980s and early 1990s. AllMusic writes that the genre "was an attempt to fuse African-American ...
trend,
spoken word
Spoken word is an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a 20th-century continuation of an oral tradition, ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetic ...
is performed during the interludes.
[ The first single, "Day In Day Out", showcased the newest MC, Spek. The second single was "California Dreamin'".
]
Reception
The album received generally mixed reviews from music critics. Nin Chan of ''RapReviews'' wrote: "Dream Warriors successfully recreate the night-at-the-jazz-club feel championed by The Roots
The Roots are an American Hip-hop, hip hop band formed in 1987 by singer Black Thought, Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and drummer Questlove, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's ''T ...
and classic Tribe
The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...
". He also called the album a "landmark in Canadian hip-hop and hell, hip-hop in general."[ '']The Source The Source may refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Source'' (1918 film), 1918 American drama directed by George Melford
* ''The Source'' (1999 film), a 1999 documentary film about the Beat generation
* ''The Source'' (2002 film), a 2002 scienc ...
'' Nicholas Poluhoff called it "a positive and ambitious LP" that "may not have enough to truly stand out", highlighting two spoken word interludes, which he called "true gems".[ John Bush of ]AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
thought that "Dream Warriors' jazz-rap formula has run out of steam".[ The album was nominated for Best Rap Recording at the 1995 Juno Awards.]
Track listing
Samples
*"Are We There Yet" – Contains a sample of "Elevation" by Pharoah Sanders
Pharoah Sanders (born Ferrell Lee Sanders; October 13, 1940 – September 24, 2022) was an American jazz saxophonist. Known for his overblowing, harmonic, and multiphonic techniques on the saxophone, as well as his use of "sheets of sound", San ...
*"Day In Day Out" – Contains a sample of "All the Way Lover" by Millie Jackson
Mildred Virginia Jackson (born July 15, 1944) is an American R&B and soul recording artist. Beginning her career in the early 1960s, three of Jackson's albums have been certified gold by the RIAA for over 500,000 copies sold. Jackson's songs o ...
*"I've Lost My Ignorance" – Contains a sample of "Blackjack" by Donald Byrd
Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II (December 9, 1932 – February 4, 2013) was an American jazz and rhythm & blues trumpeter, composer and vocalist. A sideman for many other jazz musicians of his generation, Byrd was one of the few h ...
and "Down by the River" by Buddy Miles
George Allen "Buddy" Miles Jr. (September 5, 1947February 26, 2008) was an American composer, drummer, guitarist, vocalist and producer. He was a founding member of the Electric Flag (1967), a member of Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys (1969–19 ...
*"California Dreamin'" – Contains samples of "Go on and Cry" by Les McCann
Leslie Coleman McCann (September 23, 1935 – December 29, 2023) was an American jazz pianist and vocalist. He is known for his innovations in soul jazz and his Swiss Movement, 1969 recording of the protest song "Compared to What". His music ha ...
and "La Di Da Di
"La Di Da Di" is a song performed by Doug E. Fresh, who provides the beatboxed instrumental, and MC Ricky D (later known as Slick Rick), who performs the vocals. It was originally released in 1985 as the B-side to " The Show". The song has si ...
" by Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick
Richard Martin Lloyd Walters (born January 14, 1965), better known as Slick Rick, is an English-American rapper and record producer. He rose to prominence as part of Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crew in the mid-1980s. His songs " The Show" and ...
*"Break the Stereo" – Contains a sample of "Funky" by the Chambers Brothers
The Chambers Brothers are an American psychedelic soul band, best known for their eleven-minute 1968 psychedelic soul hit " Time Has Come Today". The group was part of the wave of new music that integrated American blues and gospel traditions ...
*"Tricycles and Kittens" – Contains samples of "Another Opus" by Lem Winchester and "Zimba Ku" by Black Heat
Black Heat was a 1970s funk band founded by King Raymond Green and discovered by Phillip Guilbeau. They released three albums: '' Black Heat'' (with guest artist David "Fathead" Newman), '' No Time To Burn'' and '' Keep On Runnin. The group h ...
Release history
Personnel
*Alfio Annibalini – Assistant Engineer
*Beans – Producer
*Tim Bran – Engineer, Mixing
*Derek Brin
Derek Brin is a multi-platinum, award-winning music producer, sound designer, and mix engineer.
Career
Brin, whose father is from St. Thomas and mother is Trinidadian, was born in Toronto, but raised between Toronto and the US Virgin Islands. Bef ...
– Programming, Producer, Engineer, Mixing
*Billy Bryans – Producer
*Butterfly – Remixing, Assistant Producer
* Tom Coyne – Mastering
*DJ Premier – Producer, Mixing
*Dream Warriors – Producer, Mixing
*G-Spot – Engineer
*Gang Starr – Vocals, Producer
*Tom Garneau – Assistant Engineer
*Rupert Gayle
Rupert Gayle is a Canadian songwriter. He has written for Warner/Chappel and BMG Music Publishing, and is signed to ole.
Written and/or produced work
*Maxi Priest
*Mindless Behavior
* Shiloh
* Shawn Desman
*Keshia Chanté
*In-Dex
*Lenou
*J ...
– Executive Producer
*Bruce Grant – Engineer, Mixing
*Huge Voodoo – Producer
*Orin Isaacs
Orin Isaacs is a television and film
music composer/producer, best known as the musical director, bandleader and bassist on Mike Bullard's late-night talk shows '' Open Mike with Mike Bullard'' and '' The Mike Bullard Show''. Orin is also known ...
– Bass, Engineer
*Black Katt – Poetry, Producer
*Dennis Kelly – Engineer, Mixing
*NinetyNine – Poetry, Producer
*Eddie Sancho – Engineer
*Walter Sobczak – Producer, Engineer, Mixing
*Max Vargas – Engineer
*David Williams – Keyboards
References
{{Authority control
1994 albums
Albums produced by DJ Premier
Albums produced by Guru
Dream Warriors albums
EMI Records albums