So why is Lord Finesse & DJ Mike Smooth’s Funky Technician on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
One of the really fun things about hip-hop – especially in the old-school/golden-age era, when sampling was much more prevalent (read: free) – is figuring out what’s being sampled where. And in the case of the sample-centric party that is Funky Technician, the fun truly abounds.
For example, when I first heard the title track, “Funky Technician,” I immediately thought, “Oh, this samples ‘They Want EFX,” off Dead Serious by east coast hip hop legends Das EFX. However, turns out it’s the other way around! Dead Serious dropped in 1992 – two years after Funky Technician – with credit due to Diamond D for producing the track.
And, bonus, both songs apparently sample James Brown’s “Blind Man Can’t See It”!
It’s really cool to listen to both versions and take in how relatively slow the Funky Technician version is, where Das EFX blasts it into hyperspeed.
And speaking of the James Brown influence, “Bad Mutha” very unambiguously samples The Hardest Working Man in Show Business’ (paid the cost to be) “The Boss.” I should also add how great and… smooth, for lack of a better word, Lord Finesse’s flow is here.
Even more James Brown on “Here I Come,” and it all works magnificently.
The minimalist funk guitar and hip hop beat on “Slave To My Soundwave” is everything I want out of an old school hip hop track.
As a side note, this album falls under one of those odd situations where it’s not abundantly clear who Funky Technician is “by.”
That’s to say that some sources display it as being by Lord Finesse and DJ Mike Smooth, while others simply go with Lord Finesse. Since the album cover art itself runs with both of them, I’m following suit and proclaiming Funky Technician as a Lord Finesse and DJ Mike Smooth co-production.
Some stats & info about Lord Finesse & DJ Mike Smooth – Funky Technician
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? East Coast Rap, Hip Hop Golden Age, Old School Hip Hop, Hip Hop, Rap
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – 4.5 out of 5 stars
- When was Funky Technician released? 1990
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #666 out of 1,000
Lord Finesse & DJ Mike Smooth’s Funky Technician on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from Lord Finesse & DJ Mike Smooth’s Funky Technician that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
Damn it feels good to see people up on it.
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.