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- Date Released: January 1, 1984
- Genre: Electronic
- Label: Egyptian Empire / Virtual
LA rapper connects the dots between P-Funk and Kraftwerk.
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We Say...
Kraftwerk’s rather bizarre influence on the African-American communities of New York, Miami and Detroit has been obsessively chronicled and endlessly examined, but much less well-known is that the spectre of Düsseldorf’s showroom dummies haunted the periphery of the early LA hip-hop scene as well. Like Detroit’s Techno musicians, Rodger Clayton’s Uncle Jamm’s Army, a crew of DJs who played parties throughout LA, connected the dots between P-Funk and Kraftwerk and gave birth to the city’s electro-funk style. One of the lieutenants of Uncle Jamm’s Army, Egyptian Lover (born Greg Broussard) struck out on his own with the cult classic On the Nile. The overwrought, faintly Germanic vocals, clipped drum machine programming and vaguely sci-fi, future primitivist concepts of “Egypt, Egypt” and “My House (On the Nile)” are closer to the proto-Techno style of Detroit’s Cybotron than to either the East Coast electro style or the more straightforward electro-funk of Dr. Dre’s early group World Class Wreckin' Cru. “What Is a DJ If He Can’t Scratch?,” however, is a demand for traditional hip-hop virtues even though he was helping to banish the DJ with his synths and drum machines. “Girls,” meanwhile, rewrites the homoeroticism of Kraftwerk’s “Tour De France” for guys from South Central who like the hoochies in biker shorts.
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They Say...
Before Ice-T, N.W.A., and the late Eazy-E made Los Angeles famous (or infamous) for gangsta rap in the late '80s, the city's rap community was best known for a high-tech, futuristic approach that owed a lot to Afrika Bambaataa's 1982 classic, "Planet Rock." In the early to mid-'80s, L.A.-based electro-hoppers like the Egyptian Lover, the World Class Wreckin' Cru (the group that Dr. Dre belonged to before N.W.A.), the Arabian Prince, and Uncle Jam's Army didn't get much respect from East Coast hip-hoppers, who insisted that their music wasn't gritty enough. But those artists did enjoy a cult following in Southern California. Besides, the Egyptian Lover never claimed to be a hardcore rapper; On the Nile, his debut album of 1984, doesn't pretend to be a Run-D.M.C., L.L. Cool J, or Fat Boys release any more than Grover Washington, Jr. claimed to be a jazz purist. The closest this LP comes to an East Coast hip-hop vibe is the single "What Is a DJ If He Can't Scratch"; all of the other tracks offer a synthesizer-driven blend of rap, dance music, and electro-funk. Though "Planet Rock" is a strong influence on this release, it is hardly the Egyptian Lover's only influence -- his sound also owes a debt to Germany's seminal Kraftwerk (whose innovations greatly influenced "Planet Rock"), Prince, Man Parrish, and Giorgio Moroder, as well as Middle Eastern and North African music. The Egyptian Lover never had great rapping skills, but he was definitely an original and imaginative producer/writer -- and his risk-taking spirit serves him well on definitive, high-tech tunes like "Egypt Egypt," "My House (On the Nile)," and "Girls." On the Nile isn't the only Egyptian Lover LP that is worth owning, but most fans insist that it is his most essential and consistent album -- and they're absolutely right.
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| 01. |  |
My House (On the Nile) |
4:21 |
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| 02. | |
What Is a D.J. If He Can't Scratch |
3:17 |
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| 03. | |
Girls |
7:05 |
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| 04. | |
Computer Love (Sweet Dreams) |
3:14 |
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| 05. | |
Egypt Egypt |
5:19 |
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| 06. | |
I Cry (Night after Night) |
5:04 |
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| 07. | |
Unreal |
5:32 |
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| 08. | |
And My Beat Goes Boom |
4:12 |
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08 Total Tracks, 38:04 Total Length
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Credits
- The Egyptian Lover - Synthesizer // The Egyptian Lover - Arranger // The Egyptian Lover - Vocals // The Egyptian Lover - Producer // The Egyptian Lover - Main Performer // Phil Bedel - Photography
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