Third Eye Scream:

Released in 1998, Beneath The Surface was a compilation that served as a quirky little snapshot of some of the more adventurous underground American hip hop artists on the West Coast. These artists vary in style and technique, but they seem to share a common sense of mutual inspiration to create some interesting stuff.

Hazy, hallucinagenic background music serves as a canvas for these off-kilter rhymes that are as ridiculous as they are revolutionary. Sitars, Vibraphones, Native American hand drums collide with new age spoken word electro-proggy beats. Despite many shades of variety, the excellent production pretty much boosts this whole album to a solid level of coherence and a convincing listening experience. Plus there's a freaky 9 minute track on here called "Farmers Market Of The Beast" that features a guy named All Deadly Jizzm. That's exciting!

01. Beneath The Surface - Alien Nation
02. When The Sun Took A Day Off And The Moon Stood Still - Freestyle Fellowship
03. Who's Keeping Time? - Xololanxinco, Blackbyrd, Rakaa Iriscience, St. Mark 9:23
04. Hazerdous Curves - Sesquipedalien/DJ Mindframe
05. Night And Day - Xololanxinco, 2Mex, Circus
06. Sunny Side Up - Ellay Khule & DK Toon
07. Line Postin' In Pedro - Brothers Manifesto
08. Farmers Market of the Beast - Xololanxinco/All Deadly Jizzm/Radio Inactive/Shap
09. BustMustJustUs - Ellay Khule, 2Mex, Wreccless, Drez
10. Subterranean Service - Global Phlowtations
11. For Her Soul, Slowly, Solely - H.I.M.N.L., Tylana
12. (In)sense - Onomatopoeia
13. You Are In My Clutches - P.E.A.C.E., Kutmasta Kurt
14. To The Turn Of The Earth - Global Phlowtations/Awol One

Beneath the surface and at times, beyond belief.

GO gettit