My Bass Rocks

 A little while ago, I did a write-up on a crew from Strong Island called the JVC Force.  Their first album Doin’ Damage is a classic in its own right, but little is known about the trio after this release on B-Boy Records.  Well, after doing a little research, it seems that the JVC Force released a follow-up entitled Force Field in 1990. 

I finally got ahold of this sophomore effort a couple days ago, and was crazy surprised by the quality of the LP.  While snippets of the album are scarce to come across in their own right, I’m going to try to give you guys a feel for what I’m talking about.

Force Field Track List:

1. Introduction 2 Dance
2. Trivial Pursuit
3. It’s a Force Thing
4. JVC Is In the Haus
5. Smooth-N-Mellow
6. Tear the Show Up
7. Matik-A-Matik w/ Jaws International
8. Sandee
9. Stop-N-Listen
10. A Musical Sample
11. Keep a Handle
12. It’s a K.O.
13. Force Field
14. Collapsin’ Em
15. This Is Our Song
16. Envy-4-Another

You can preview the whole album HERE.

The first single off Force Field is “Introduction 2 Dance,” which sounds almost like a remix to “Strong Island.”  The drums are the same and the overall vibe is parallel to the single that put them on the map in the first place.  It’s as if they are paying homage to themselves, which works here, but is still a little odd as the choice for their first single.  The B-Side to “Introduction..” is a track called “It’s a Force Thing.”  This song is a big departure from the gritty sounds of “Strong Island,” and they definitely had the dance floor in mind here.  Listen for yourself:

Apparently, this is the track that gets remembered from the second album.  However, one thing that Force Field is able to do very well, is remain strong throughout the remainder of the LP.  From both times I gave it a listen all the way through, there are several tracks that get replayed.  Namely, the funky and almost disco-sounding (especially in the keys) “Smooth-N-Mellow,” which includes an extremely funky bass sample, along with infectious hand-clapping (before Kanye, suckas). 

What surprises me the most about Force is the amount of recognizable samples that would later be used by more recognizable acts.  First, “Keep A Handle” includes a loop of the Buffalo Springfield classic “For What It’s Worth,” which would later be used by Public Enemy for “Who Got Game.”  Next, “It’s a K.O.” samples “Don’t Look Any Further” by Dennis Edwards, which is most-notably sampled by 2Pac for “Hit ‘Em Up.”  One of the harder tracks on this album is “Force Field,” that samples the Isaac Hayes classic “Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic.”  This is now a staple in rap, with the likes of Public Enemy (again), Ice Cube, and The Game all chopping up this Isaac Hayes funky classic.

There are so many other great songs on this LP, which makes it one of the biggest old school sleepers, as far as I’m concerned.  The JVC Force are one of the most innovative and creative crews during the golden era, and both of their official entries are proof.  If you’re a fan of the sound, or are curious about this album, I highly suggest grabbing a copy of this…Force Field was just re-released on CD, and you can get yourself a copy HERE.

Don’t sleep… 

Justified by Virtue of Creativity