Some Cold Rock Stuf

With a fat résumé that begins with the ‘90s turntable crew the Beat Junkies, it’s surprising that DJ/producer J-Rocc made it all the way to 2011 without a debut solo album. Even though this is a monumental release for the crate-crawling crowd, Some Cold Rock Stuf is a surprisingly subtle effort in parts, full of those easy-rolling, murky productions his frequent employer — Madlib — and his label — Stones Throw — favor. Granted, the title may suggest the chunky, clunky drum machines of hip-hop’s golden age, but after “Rocchead’s Delight” kicks the door open with its beatboxing and slap bass beats, the bud smoker’s soundtrack “Don’t Sell Your Dream (Tonight)” blows pillows of dark night around the room, exhaling paranoia with each jazzy guitar line it loops. “Stop Trying” is a beautiful cut where a screwed and chopped, self-help guru guides the listener through a cool Latin funk landscape, but the appropriately titled “Party” gets the congas pumping, combining disco bongos and swing band samples for a track that is one thump away from being a house number. Even if the producer’s layered constructions cover the spectrum genre-wise, the overall feel of Some Cold Rock Stuf is classically J-Rocc and generally Stones Throw, coming with that right combination of lazy, purposeful, clever, odd, and organic. Don’t let that underwhelming first listen fool you — this one is a grower and an understated success for his product-starved fans. [The physical release of Some Cold Rock Stuf came with a bonus “mystery disc.” Three different versions of this unlabeled extra disc were produced and then randomly inserted into the final product.] – David Jeffries