Meiso
1995 studio album by DJ Krush
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Meiso (迷走, Meisō) is the third studio album by Japanese hip hop producer DJ Krush. It was released on July 21, 1995 in Japan by Sony Music Entertainment.[3][4]
| Meiso | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 21, 1995 | |||
| Studio | ||||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 48:53 | |||
| Label | Sony | |||
| Producer | DJ Krush | |||
| DJ Krush chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Meiso | ||||
Meiso was issued in the United Kingdom on October 30, 1995 by the label Mo' Wax,[5] peaking at number 64 on the UK Albums Chart.[6] It was released in the United States on April 9, 1996 by Mo' Wax and FFRR Records.[7] The album produced the singles "Meiso" and "Only the Strong Survive", which reached numbers 52 and 71 respectively on the UK Singles Chart.[8]
Composition
Fact described Meiso as an album of sample-based trip hop music.[9] AllMusic critic Ned Raggett said that the music continued in the vein of DJ Krush's past work, incorporating "mid- to slow-tempo grooves and breaks" and exploring "everything from jazz and funk to experimental ambient production."[10] The album features guest performances from several American rappers: CL Smooth on "Only the Strong Survive", Roots members Black Thought and Malik B. on "Meiso", Deflon Sallahr on "Ground", and Guru and Big Shug on "Most Wanted Man".[11] "Make no mistake", Muzik's Will Ashon wrote of Meiso, "this is a hip hop album".[12]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [10] |
| The Guardian | [13] |
| Muzik | 4.5/5[12] |
| The Source |  [14] |
Dan Glaister of The Guardian found Meiso more accessible than DJ Krush's previous releases, attributing this partly to the more prominent rapping on the album.[13] Glaister praised the record as an effective "blend of the upbeat with contemplative and downright mysterious instrumentals".[13] Writing for Trouser Press, Mark Kemp said that it pointed toward "further fascinating intercultural exploration of the space between foursquare hip-hop and floating ambient techno."[15] In 2015, Fact ranked Meiso at number 12 on its list of the best trip hop albums of all time.[9]
Track listing
All music is composed by DJ Krush, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Only the Strong Survive" (with CL Smooth) | Smooth | 4:14 | |
| 2. | "Anticipation" | 4:44 | ||
| 3. | "What's Behind Darkness" | 3:05 | ||
| 4. | "Meiso" (with Black Thought and Malik B.) |
| 4:02 | |
| 5. | "Bypath 1" | 0:37 | ||
| 6. | "Blank" | 2:19 | ||
| 7. | "Ground" (with Deflon Sallahr) | Sallahr | 5:57 | |
| 8. | "Bypath 2" | 0:45 | ||
| 9. | "Most Wanted Man" (with Guru and Big Shug) | Big Shug |
| 4:00 |
| 10. | "Bypath 3" | 1:13 | ||
| 11. | "3rd Eye" | 4:46 | ||
| 12. | "Oce 9504" | 3:35 | ||
| 13. | "Duality" (with DJ Shadow) |
| 8:48 | |
| 14. | "Bypath – Would You Take It?" | 0:48 | ||
| Total length: | 48:53 | |||
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[11]
Musicians
- DJ Krush – beats, scratching, drum programming on "Duality", abstract programming on "Bypath – Would You Take It?"
- Big Shug – vocals on "Most Wanted Man"
- Black Thought – vocals on "Meiso"
- DJ Hide – scratching on "Anticipation"
- DJ Shadow – beats, scratching, and drum programming on "Duality"
- Guru – vocals on "Most Wanted Man"
- Malik B. – vocals on "Meiso"
- Deflon Sallahr – vocals on "Ground"
- CL Smooth – vocals on "Only the Strong Survive"
Production
- DJ Krush – production, mixing
- Noriko Asano – executive production
- Toshiya Horiuchi – mastering
- Ken Duro Ifill – recording
- Tetsuo Kato – executive production
- Koichi "Oppenheimer" Matsuki – recording
- Yoko Yamanaka – recording (assistant)
Design
- Mami Ikeda – translation
- Sachiko Kishi – translation
- Masato Nakamura – photography
- Sakaguchi Ken Factory – art direction, design
Charts
| Chart (1995) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums (OCC)[6] | 64 |
| UK Dance Albums (OCC)[16] | 4 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[17] | 7 |
| UK R&B Albums (OCC)[18] | 8 |