Hi-Tek - Beatbox Studios 2 (1996 MPC 60II) (LP)

After 25 years of living his dream as one of hip hop’s most respected producers, Hi-Tek is digging back into his roots with a brand new trio of instrumental vinyl LPs. “Beatbox Studios 2 (1996 MPC 60II)” is the second volume of the series, each featuring a selection of restored and remastered beats, carefully chosen from an archive of DAT tapes. These LPs manage to both provide a window into Tek’s development and to shine light on the work of an already enormously-talented musician whose beats would’ve sounded right at home on classic releases from the mid-1990s.Building on the styles showcased on the first “Beatbox Studios” LP, Hi-Tek was clearly developing his own personal style on the studio’s in-house Akai MPC 60II sampler. The drums were swinging more; the grooves were deeper; the bass thumped harder. Even when choosing familiar samples, he was chopping them in fresh and unexpected ways, which would eventually help shape his signature sound.As his reputation was becoming cemented