Double Dee & Steinski “Lesson 1″ & “Lesson 2″

Whenever I read critics tripping over themselves to praise Gregg Gillis and his “revolutionary” Girl Talk mash ups, I am always surprised that more recognition has not been garnered for legendary hip hop DJ duo Double Dee & Steinski. The massively influential DJs, who have been creating sample based mixes for over 20 years, put out a retrospective last year titled What Does it All Mean? that shows their amazing skills on a two disc set that has few if any weak songs. Their first two songs, titled “Lesson 1 (The Payoff Mix)” and “Lesson 2 (James Brown Mix)” are both stone cold classics that, like Gillis at his best, seamlessly integrate multiple songs and spoken word pieces. “Lesson 1 (The Payoff Mix)” was the song that first brought Double Dee & Steinski widespread recognition when they won a Tommy Boy Records contest in the early eighties to remix the song “Play that beat, Mr. DJ.” Their songs, passed along on underground bootlegs for years, finally saw widespread release last year and show their wide range of musical influences and unbridled ambition. What does it all Mean?, which can be cranked up and be used as a dance party starter, can also be equally engaging in a quieter setting which allows the listener to marvel at the duo’s skills in making such amazing songs. This proves especially true when you realize that they were created before more easily accessible programs were available to make the whole mash up process more mainstream.

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