Xen Cuts [Box set]

Various Artists - Dance & DJ - Ninja Tunes | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 3, 2000)
• Original Release Date: October 3, 2000
• Number of Discs: 3
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Ninja Tune
• ASIN: B00004XSTF
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #191,192 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. The Xen to One Ratio

2. Showtime

3. 2 the Left

4. Qms [The Process mix]

5. 8pt Agenda

6. Ug

See all 18 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. The Joy of X (Spotters Delight)

2. The 10th Victim

3. Soul Pride

4. Los Locos Cubanos [Snowboy's Batarumbaconga Mix]

5. Down and to the Left

6. My Life's in These Bottles

See all 14 tracks on this disc

Disc: 3

1. Twice the First Time

2. More Beats & Pieces [John McEntire Tortoise Mix]

3. Dubble (Organ Swell)

4. No Mind

5. Peace, Pt. 1

6. Happy Band

See all 25 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't drink from the mainstream, October 30, 2000

By 

brothernumber1 (Auckland, New Zealand.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Xen Cuts (Audio CD)

All I can do is agree with the other reviews -- BUY THIS! It serves as a great overview of the ninja label, if you haven't heard much of their stuff before, but contains lots of new tracks and brilliance for even the most experienced ninja.

The first CD starts off with the intro cutups, then moves into a mostly hiphop mode. The highlights for me here include Roots Manuvas insane mix of Amon Tobin, the brilliant Dj Vadim and Kid Koala tracks, and Up,Bustle & Outs "Hip Hop Barrio". A fantastic exception that stands out is Luke Viberts "I Hear the Drummer".

The second CD moves onto some mainly jazzy business. The Clifford Gilberto track is funky filmic soundtrack business, and Amon Tobin contributes a great track. Later come the amazing fried up beats of Flanger, before Funki Porcini and others finish the disc in a swirl of ambient orchestration.

The third CD (subtitled "missed, flipped and skipped), is raritys and remixes as the title suggests. This disc is also killer, with Mr Scruff and Dj Food contributing some awesome sounds, and the insanity of Squarepushers mix of East Flatbush Project's "Tried By 12". The disc finishes with more jazzy sounds, but the real highlight here for me is Kid Koala's "Drunk Trumpet", where a trumpet sample is munted and mutated by the kid over a jazzy piano loop. Absolutely insane, and brilliant with it.

To sum up, if you are even the slightest bit into the hiphop / jazz insanity that the ninjas do so well, then you need this like you need food and air. Sell your own mother if you have to.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything Xen, August 1, 2001

By 

"littleoldme" (Fort Collins, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Xen Cuts (Audio CD)

So Ninja Tune decides to release a huge, mega-compilation (3 CDs, 46 tracks) ... I then decided to take a chance (going simply on the label's reputation and a few tracks I'd heard). And I'm glad I did. There's so much here, and the amazing part is how much of it is outstanding.

Disc One concentrates on hip-hop. The general theme here is decent MCs dropping above-average lyrics over phenomenal beats. It's probably the most consistently high-quality disc here.

Standouts: Amon Tobin - "Saboteur"; Big Dada Sound - "Showtime"; Kid Koala - "Emperor's Main Course"; Luke Vibert - "I Hear The Drummmer"; Up, Bustle & Out - "Hip Hop Barrio"

Disc Two emphasizes the more chilled, jazzy, trip-hop stuff. There are some moments that don't work (Loka, Animals on Wheels, Flanger) because of off-tempo programming, but the vast majority of the disc is excellent.

Standouts: both Clifford Gilberto tracks, Funki Porcini, Amon Tobin, Up, Bustle & Out

Disc Three is less cohesive as a single unit, but is equally fun. The winners here (out of a huge batch of winners) are Saul Williams, DJ Vadim, DJ Food, and Roots Manuva.

All in all, a great compilation of innovative hip-hop/techno/trip-hop. The only drawback is there's so much here it may be overwhelming!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nirvana attained., November 22, 2000

By 

C. G. "seagrass" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Xen Cuts (Audio CD)

Ahhh...Ninja Tune...purveyors of atmospheric beats, mad samples, and numerous flavors of abstraction. The Ninja crew has had a major hand in redefining conventional views of hip-hop and jazz, and with Xen Cuts they prove that they are once again without peer. This diverse collection beautifully displays all aspects of the genre-bending Ninja sound, all in the space of about two hours...and there is very little redundancy to be found here. Even hardcore Ninjas will be hard-pressed to find many of these tracks already in their collection. There are some new/exclusive tunes here, but most seem to have been purloined from the massive Ninja backcatalogue of now-OOP singles and LPs, which is fortunate for both the many who haven't yet been exposed to Ninja Tune, and for the completists whose palates are in desperate need of satiation. In addition, the included booklet is well-assembled, and features an extensive, often humorous history of the label, album cover-adorned pages, and a complete discography of every artist on the Ninja Tune, N-Tone, and Big Dada labels. I was hoping for some mention of Ninja's occassional partners-in-stealth, Shadow Records; however, this is a minor omission. The Cuts are broken up into three discs: Disc 1 is mostly hip-hop/MC oriented, Disc 2 embraces the jazzier, more instrumental side of Ninja, and Disc 3 features a mix of unreleased mixes and rare tracks (by the way, track 15 is not credited on the packaging). The highlights of this release? Well, there are 47 of them, so take your pick. Do not hesitate, young grasshopper...