Digable Planets 'Reachin' 25th Anniversary Mixtape

"This weekend marked the 25th Anniversary of Digable Planets debut LP 'Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space)', an album as memorable for its rich jazz-heavy sample material as it is for its evocation of the post-civil rights era poetry. The lead single 'Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)' won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a duo or group in 1994 and the LP is frequently lauded as a classic of the era, largely due its innovative use of jazz. Producer Butterfly, has stated the group's 'jazz group' image was not initially intentional and that the group's sound evolved from the resources they had available - his father's record collection, which was mostly jazz. In celebration of the album's 25th year, we've teamed up with Wax Poetics to present this exclusive mixtape of album tracks, alt versions, interview snippets and of course original sampled material, mixed by Chris Read." - WhoSampled Team

1. Digable Planets - Where I'm From (Aural G Ride Instrumental)

2. Chris Read - Theme #3 (Scratchapella)

3. Lonnie Liston Smith - Devika (Goddess) (Sampled in Pacifics (NY is Red Hot))

4. Digable Planets on Rap City 1993 [Extract]

5. The Headhunters - God Make Me Funky [Loop] (Sampled in Pacifics (NY is Red Hot))

6. Hamilton Bohannon - Take the Country to N.Y City [Extract] (Sampled in Pacifics (NY is Red Hot)

7. Digable Planets - Pacifics (NY is Red Hot)

8. The Crusaders - Listen and You'll See (Sampled in Examination of What)

9. Digable Planets - Examination of What

10. Eddie Harris - Superfluous (Sampled in What Cool Breezes Do)

11. Digable Planets - What Cool Breezes Do

12. The Crusaders - Mystique Blues (Sampled in What Cool Breezes Do)

13. Edwin Starr - Easin In [Loop] (Sampled in Nickel Bags)

14. Herbie Mann - Push Push (Sampled in Nickel Bags)

15. Digable Planets - Nickel Bags

16. Steve Parks - Movin In The Right Direction (Sampled in Nickel Bags)

17. The Honey Drippers - Impeach the President [Loop] (Sampled in Last of the Spiddyocks)

18. Digable Planets - Last of the Spiddyocks

19. Kool & The Gang - Summer Madness (Sampled in Jimmi Diggin Cats)

20. Digable Planets - Jimmi Diggin Cats

21. The Crusaders - Lillies of the Nile [Loop] (Sampled in Escapism (Gettin Free)

22. Herbie Hancock - Watermelon Man (Sampled in Escapism (Gettin Free)

23. Digable Planets - Escapism (Gettin Free)

24. James Brown - Funky Drummer [Loop] (Sampled in Swoon Units)

25. Digable Planets - Swoon Units

26. Sonny Rollins & The Modern Jazz Quartet - Mambo Bounce (Sampled in Time & Space (A New Refutation Of))

27. Digable Planets - Time & Space (A New Refutation Of)

28. KC & Sunshine Band - Ain't Nothin Wrong (Sampled in Where I'm From)

29. Digable Planets - Where I'm From

30. The Honey Drippers - Impeach the President [Loop] (Sampled in Rebirth os Slick (Cool Like Dat))

31. Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - Stretching (Sampled in Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat))

32. Digable Planets Grammys Acceptance Speech 1994

33. Digable Planets - Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)

34. Tom Scott - Sneakin In The Back [Loop] (Sampled in Appointment at the Fat Clinic)

35. Digable Planets - Appointment at the Fat Clinic

36. Lightnin' Rod feat Kool & The Gang - Sport [Loop] (Sampled in Femme Fatale)

37. Digable Planets - Femme Fatale

38. The Headhunters - God Make Me Funky [Loop] (Sampled in It's Good to Be Here)

39. Digable Planets - It's Good to Be Here

40. Grant Green - Samba De Orpheus (Sampled in It's Good to Be Here)

      

From The Source - March 1993 - Scan courtesy of Vincent Lopez