100 Favorite Albums of the 1990s: Part 5 of 10 (1995 - 1996)

Welcome to Part 5 of my “100 Favorite Albums of the 1990’s” list! This part covers late fall of '95 to spring of '96 - my junior year of high school. During this time I was still deep into hip-hop, but my musical horizons were expanding quickly. 1996 ushered in a frenzy of musical exploration and discovery - 22 of my favorite albums of the 90's were released in 1996. It was a great year.

By then, I had a driver’s license, which expanded my musical hunting grounds beyond suburban bus routes. I'd borrow my older brother's car (thanks!) to make trips to record shops across the DC metro area, including the HMV in Georgetown where a serendipitous conversation with a staffer there led to some great recommendations, including a jungle music compilation called This is Jungle Sky released in early ‘95 by Liquid Sky, the record label offshoot of the NYC emporium of the same name, which served as an axis for the Mid-Atlantic rave and underground club scene in the early to mid-90's.

Turns out, DC had its own humble version of that just around the corner in Georgetown, where the HMV staffer also worked - a shop called Music Now, which specialized in rave music and fashion.

Despite having collected electronic dance music compilations for a few years already, mostly comprised of early 90's Belgian techno, UK breakbeat/‘ardcore, and bleep n' bass (Profile’s four-part series Best of Techno curated by London ex-pat DJ DB, later a co-founder of America’s first drum & bass-dedicated record shop, Breakbeat Science, was especially important to me), I had scant real-world context for any of it - until that chance conversation with the raver who worked at HMV. It set me on a new trajectory.

⁃ Will G

Genius/GZA:  Liquid Swords  (11/7/95)

While Raekwon’s debut, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, is justifiably considered the best solo album out of the Wu-Tang Clan, GZA's debut Liquid Swords, released just three months later, is my favorite. GZA, aka the Genius, was the Clan’s most formidable wordsmith. While Raekwon and Ghostface Killah's knotty lyricism often perplexed, GZA’s flow was efficient and uncluttered, weaving tales of street life with arresting gravitas and vivid detail. RZA’s beats also hit harder here, colder, and more ominous, echoing the dark winter season when I initially had this album on heavy rotation.

The Pharcyde:  Labcabincalifornia  (11/14/95)

’95 was a peak year for East Coast hip-hop, but the West Coast still offered surprises. LA's own Pharcyde brought a bit of sunshine to my world at the end of the year with their sophomore album, Labcabincalifornia. Like their Native Tongues compatriots back east, this quirky foursome delivered a fresh alternative to gangsta rap with their classic underground debut, Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde, back in '92. It was a tough act to follow, but they knocked it out of the park again here with sharp rhymes and effervescent, hooky production courtesy of up-and-coming beatmaker J Dilla.

Group Home:  Livin' Proof  (11/21/95)

There seemed to be no shortage of tough, streetwise rap duos out of New York releasing quality albums in '95 - Smif-N-Wessun, Mobb Deep, and the comparatively underrated Group Home. Closely affiliated with another legendary duo, Gang Starr, Group Home dropped their debut, Livin' Proof, late that year. Despite its low commercial profile, it remains a quintessential boom-bap album, featuring rugged flows and career-pinnacle production from DJ Premier. Loaded with neck-snapping rhythms, the album's title track was a worthy candidate for hardest beat of the year.

Fugees:  The Score  (2/13/96)

Fugees' sophomore effort, The Score, was the first album I eagerly anticipated and dutifully scooped up on its drop date. I had a feeling this album, from this little-known rap trio out of NJ, was going to be dope. Boasting sharp flows, tuneful production, and inventive use of samples, covers, and interpolations, it's hard to overstate this album's personal, commercial, and critical impact. Of course, Lauryn Hill was the album's breakout star - equally devastating rapping or singing. Sadly, this was the group's final album, with each member going solo thereafter.

Busta Rhymes:  The Coming  (3/26/96)

'96 ushered in a new phase of cultural and commercial ascendancy for hip-hop music. Hype Williams' kaleidoscopic video for "Woo-Ha!!“, the lead single from Busta Rhymes' debut album The Coming, was a hit. The sudden ubiquity of this gravel-throated rapper with the off-kilter flow and raucous persona may have come as a surprise to some, but he'd long paid dues in the underground with his crew, Leaders of the New School, and with notable guest features. In many ways, this aptly titled album exemplified hip-hop's inevitable transition into the pop mainstream.

LTJ Bukem Presents:  Logical Progression  (4/8/96)

Jungle music exploded from the UK rave underground in ‘94 but, by the latter half of the decade, began to evolve and fracture. Those chopped-up, double-time breakbeats provided a sturdy framework for new flavors and moods under a new umbrella term - drum & bass. LTJ Bukem and like-minded artists from his own label, Good Looking, cornered the market on “intelligent” drum & bass - a gentler take on the genre that drew inspiration from jazz, ambient, and new-age music. This label compilation album, Logical Progression, captured that sound perfectly and remains a classic.

(Audio unavailable via Spotify)

Various Artists:  Artcore 2  (4/15/96)

By the summer of ’96, drum & bass had become my favorite subgenre of electronic music. Its speedy rhythms, cavernous low-end, and ethereal synths sounded entirely alien and futuristic, conveying euphoria and menace in equal measure. Artcore 2 was my first proper drum & bass compilation album, and it chronicled the schism occurring within the genre at the time. On one side, the smooth sounds of “intelligent”, exemplified by artists like Adam F and Alex Reece; on the other side, the aggressive sounds of “tech step”, exemplified by artists like Doc Scott and DJ Trace - all featured here.

(Audio unavailable via Spotify)

DJ Kool:  Let Me Clear My Throat  (4/23/96)

Go-go, Washington, DC's own polyrhythmic funk offshoot, is both a genre and an event. I attended my first go-go in the gymnasium of a prep school, down the road from my own high school, in the spring of '96. Go-go bands would sometimes headline at area prep schools, letting sheltered suburban kids experience a genre that ruled DC's inner city. I forget what group played that event, possibly Junkyard Band, but DJ Kool's infectious go-go/hip-hop hybrid anthem "Let Me Clear My Throat" was everywhere at the time, and this album of the same name sat nicely in my musical rotation.

Orbital:  In Sides  (4/29/96)

Electronic music duo Orbital rose to prominence during the days of acid house and illegal British countryside raves in the late 80’s. Best known for their euphoric dance anthems, on their fourth studio album, In Sides, the group expanded their sound, delving into lengthy, cinematic compositions, unfolding in suites, all anchored by moody synth work and snappy breakbeats - think Kraftwerk meets Lalo Schifrin. It’s no surprise Orbital went on to soundtrack several films, including Val Kilmer’s action thriller The Saint. In Sides remains one of my favorite albums, in any genre.

Everything But The Girl:  Walking Wounded  (5/6/96)

Walking Wounded, the ninth album from UK pop duo Everything But the Girl, was a pivotal album for me in the spring of ’96. The group’s vocalist, Tracey Thorn, had already dipped her toes into electronic music by singing on Massive Attack’s “Protection” the year prior, and EBTG’s own “Missing”, remixed by house legend Todd Terry, was inescapable. I picked up this album based on that remix, expecting more of the same, but was surprised and taken by its drum & bass-inspired production, awash in brittle breakbeats. I credit it with helping ignite my love for drum & bass music.

100 Favorite Albums of the 1990s: Part 1 of 10 (1990 - 1992)

100 Favorite Albums of the 1990s: Part 2 of 10 (1992 - 1993)

100 Favorite Albums of the 1990s: Part 3 of 10 (1993 - 1994)
100 Favorite Albums of the 1990s: Part 4 of 10 (1994 - 1995)
100 Favorite Albums of the 1990s: Part 6 of 10 (1996)
100 Favorite Albums of the 1990s: Part 7 of 10 (1996 - 1997)

100 Favorite Albums of the 1990s: Part 8 of 10 (1997)

100 Favorite Albums of the 1990s: Part 9 of 10 (1997 - 1998)

100 Favorite Albums of the 1990s: Part 10 of 10 (1998 - 1999)