Sound Quality: 9

Funk Factor: 9

Bang For The Buck: 9



Vinnie Zummo is a very, very funky man. The original N.Y.Cutz has long been a favorite of mine, and it was awarded a Key Buy, so I was keen to find out if Zummo was able to sustain the magic in a second collection. He was.



N.Y. Cutz 2 (I'll call it Off Da Hook from here on) is a big ol' three-disc affair packed with funky goodness. Disc one is entirely devoted to 96 tracks of construction kits, which range in tempo from 60 to 159 bpm. Standouts included the pretty "Harp Thing," the hip-hop nightmare called "The Trip," the vaguely exotic "Mellow Tip," and the unadulterated funk of "Dark Nite." The construction kits are all very good, but really hit their stride in the high 70s (track number, not decade). "I like the musical style and attitude of the construction kits," noted second-listener Jim Aikin. "But it'd be easier to build songs if the phrases were longer."



Disc two is a repository of smaller elements. A horde of drum machine loops resides here, grouped roughly by tempo. Two tracks of "Brush Loops" are actually soft-sounding percussion elements like tambourines and hi-hats, not brushed drums. Three tracks of "EQ Loopz" are offered, low noises first, followed by midrange and high-end elements. Unfortunately, the three tracks' selection of tempos doesn't overlap much, making it harder to use them together straight out of the box. There's a selection of voice loops and phrases includes a sprinkling of good scat vocals and so-so rhythmic phrases. Bass riffs come next, with the "Greazy Akoustik Bass" bowing first with its tubby, round tone and ample attitude. A very Music Man-sounding electric bass then appears played clean and with a deliciously vile fuzz effect. The Rhodes and Clav phrases are tasty and seasoned with the right effects. "The out-of-tune upright piano clips are pretty outrageous, too," enthused Jim.



The Mellotron riffs sound a little bit busted, like they've been creatively abused. Nice. Zummo's guitar samples range from visceral guitaristic noises, to slippery, funky riffs, to heavily effected, spacey atmospherics. Two-fer loops (synced pairs of mono samples panned hard left and right), tracks filled with various glissandos, and a 20-year retrospective of orchestra and horn hits rounds out this outstanding collection. Disc three, the WAV disc, contains the samples from both audio discs. There were a couple of tracks we couldn't find, however.



If you liked N.Y. Cutz Vol. 1, Off Da Hook won't disappoint. Anyone looking for a storehouse of edgy funk material would be smart to audition this set.