Live from the Tape Deck

Live from the Tape Deck is the collaborative studio album by Brooklyn rapper Skyzoo and New Jersey producer Illmind, released on October 5, 2010, under Duck Down Records.^[1] Recording sessions for the album took place at Big China Studios in Brooklyn, New York in 2010.

1 Background
2 Music
3 Tracklisting
4 Samples
5 Personnel
6 References

Background

Unlike Skyzoo's debut album The Salvation, there aren't any deep undertones or personal records. The album is a collection of raw hip hop with a cohesive backdrop. With this project, the two artists have planned to bring what hip hop veterans such as Eric B. & Rakim, Gang Starr, EPMD, NWA and A Tribe Called Quest brought by having one producer with one sound and one theme. But, Live from the Tape Deck does not sound like hip hop in the 1990s.^[1]^[2]^[3]

"The reason it's called "Live from the Tape Deck" is because when labels made cassette tapes, it just so happens that was when records were dope. Once the option of buying a cassette in a store was gone, that's when things changed and music got whack."

Skyzoo^[1]

Skyzoo also clarified that this project isn't the follow-up to The Salvation.^[4]

Skyzoo's goal while recording the album was "to make something that felt like a 2010 cassette tape". He wanted the content to be raw and lyric driven as always, but not as story driven or emotional as The Salvation was. There are still parts of the album that are stories and concepts, but not as much as his debut had. This one is more of a beats and rhymes type of album.^[5]

Music

Production

Illmind took a custom approach to the production for the album based on the concept of Live from the Tape Deck, explaining that,

“

I wanted to keep the soundscape warm and 'analog' sounding, just like how 2 inch tapes used to sound. Most of the keyboard and synth sounds I used were from analog synths made in the late 80's. Combined this with using my ASR-10, I was able to capture that feeling, but with a slightly updated feel. I think our debut record, "Frisbees" was a cool way, sonically, to introduce the sound I was going for.^[5]

”

Guest artists

Skyzoo and Illmind secured features from artists that matched the Live from the Tape Deck concept. These artists are Heltah Skeltah, Torae, Styles P, Buckshot and Rhymefest. Skyzoo goes further saying,

“

I went to who I felt made sense for the records I put them on. For instance, when fans hear the track, "The Burn Notice", they’ll agree that the beat, being chaotic and loud, had Heltah Skeltah written all over it.^[5]

”

Singles

"Frisbees" was released as the first single on July 13, 2010.^[6] A video for the song was made and released on July 29, 2010. It is directed by Derek Pike.^[7]

"Speakers On Blast" is the second single and was released on August 30, 2010. The music video was released on October 6, 2010. It is also directed by Derek Pike.^[8] The official remix was released on November 22, 2010 and it features Lloyd Banks and Maino.^[9]

Critical response

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
HipHopDX	^[10]
URB	^[11]
XXL	(XL)^[12]
DJBooth.net	^[13]
Brooklyn Bodega	^[14]
iKeepsIt100.com	^[15]
Chaundon.com	^[16]
ThaCorner	^[17]
The Smoking Section	^[18]
SPIN	^[19]

Tracklisting

^[5]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Digital Analog"	G. Taylor	3:30
2.	"Frisbees"	G. Taylor	3:41
3.	"The Burn Notice" (featuring Heltah Skeltah)	G. Taylor, J. Bush, S. Price	3:51
4.	"Speakers on Blast"	G. Taylor	3:29
5.	"#Allabouthat"	G. Taylor	3:01
6.	"Barrel Brothers" (featuring Torae)	G. Taylor, T. Carr	3:12
7.	"The Winner's Circle"	G. Taylor	3:52
8.	"Krylon"	G. Taylor	3:25
9.	"Kitchen Table"	G. Taylor	4:56
10.	"The Now or Never" (featuring Styles P & Buckshot)	G. Taylor, D. Styles, K. Blake	3:21
11.	"Understanding Riley" (featuring Rhymefest)	G. Taylor, C. Smith	3:10
12.	"Langston's Pen"	G. Taylor	3:04
Total length:			42:32

iTunes bonus track
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
13.	"Flow by Number" (featuring Termanology)	G. Taylor, D. Carrillo	3:52
Total length:			46:24

Samples

"Frisbees"
- "Laying Eggs" by Paz
- "Dune" by The Wonderland Philharmonic
"Barrel Brothers"
- "(It Would Almost) Drive Me Out of My Mind" by Four Tops
"The Now Or Never"
- "Supersnatch" by Frankie Miller
"#Allabouthat"
- "Do You Love Me Just a Little, Honey" by Gladys Knight & The Pips

Personnel

Skyzoo – vocals, executive producer
Illmind – producer, executive producer
Dru Ha – associate executive producer
Buckshot – associate executive producer, featured vocals
Heltah Skeltah – featured vocals
Styles P – featured vocals
Rhymefest – featured vocals

Torae – featured vocals, additional vocals on "Speakers on Blast"
Rapsody – additional vocals on "Speakers on Blast"
Gabriel – additional guitars on "Digital Analog", "The Burn Notice" and "Krylon"
Ricardo Gutierrez – mastering
Andre Trenier – illustrations
Jean Goode – artwork
Skrilla – additional artwork

References

Skyzoo

Studio albums	The Salvation

Collaboration albums	Cloud 9: The 3 Day High (with 9th Wonder) · Live from the Tape Deck (with Illmind)

EPs	The Strung Out Remixes

Mixtapes	I'm for the People · Back for the First Time · The Greastest Flow on Earth · Ghetto Celebrity: The Mixtape · The City's Favorite: The Mixtape · The Way You Get Down · Corner Store Classic · Corner Store Classic (The Remixes) · The Power of Words

Singles	"Way To Go" · "I'm On It" · "Get It Done · "Click" · "The Necessary Evils" · "The Beautiful Decay" · "Popularity" · "Easy to Fly" · "My Interpretation" · "Frisbees" · "Speakers on Blast"