Grandmaster Flash: Essential Mix: Classic Edition : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

As he proves once again on Essential Mix, Grandmaster Flash can make the most classic record bend to his will. The whole of this mix CD is simply greater than the sum of its parts. And believe me, the parts are great, from the bell-rocking groove of Blondie's "Rapture" to the confection of Denroy Morgan's "I'll Do Anything for You" and the dark, funky abyss of Liquid Liquid's "Cavern." Drawing on hits from the New York clubland of the late Seventies and early Eighties, Essential Mix has obvious nostalgic value, but this is much more than a disco flashback. Unlike icy collections of younger DJs, Essential Mix is warm, and not driven by ego-serving choices. Flash's scratches and manipulations don't intrude or break up well-laid grooves but expertly push them along. The album is a reminder of what a profound understanding of pacing, texture and the God-given touch of a man meant to spin vinyl in the dark can do in the space of an hour. Like most of Flash's stuff, Essential Mix is required reading for anyone who dares step behind the wheels of steel.