The Human Condition

Ming & FS | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 4, 2001)
• Original Release Date: 2001
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Om Records
• ASIN: B00005NTPE
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #292,171 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

From URB Magazine

Two years ago, Ming and FS' debut full-length, Hell's Kitchen, scored massive props from the throngs who'd been waiting for a credible drum & bass/hip-hop fusion. Said record was the product of the Manhattan/Hell's Kitchen duo's longstanding hip-hop roots, jazz training and production skills that had been employed by artists ranging from Coolio to Brandy. The boys were bad-asses and knew it - they dubbed their music "junkyard" and chided self-described turntablists for piss-poor songs and bloated battle-honed egos.

It's hard to live up to hype, and Ming and FS' sophomore long-player, The Human Condition, doesn't. It's an inconsistent melange of hip-hop, drum & bass, jazz fusion and electronics that fails to attain aesthetic coherence. Genre-blending can be the province of artists possessed of transcendent musical visions, but when done poorly it recalls those naÔve '90s collegiate indie bands whose sets wandered between cliche funk, punk, folk and psychedelic originals. While the prognosis isn't as grim as that comparison, The Human Condition is mired in the quality-control problems that come with music that takes the buffet as its model. Half the disc is highly recommended West London-inspired jazz fusion that stokes the senses with poly-rhythms and bright hooks, but the remainder consists of confused forays into industrial-inspired electronics and surprisingly inauthentic jungle. Left alone, the fusion material would make for a stellar record, but it can't carry the dead weight of hackneyed vocal samples ("You're a bad girl - such a pretty little girl") repeated ad nauseam over market-friendly funk. Sad to say it, but somebody's out to lunch in Hell's Kitchen.

Pete Skafish

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Just Doesn't Gel, February 14, 2003

By 

DJ ProFusion - WorldFusionRadio.com "DJ ProFu... (Evanston, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Human Condition (Audio CD)

Bottom Line: Not a fusion, it's a jumble of different styles that just doesn't work on this CD. Pass on this CD but give any future efforts by this duo a chance.

I am the first person to applaud for mixing genres of music - when it works. But just because you can put a techno loop with a hip-hop rap with a rock rift doesn't mean it sounds good. "Human Condition" shows that. It is not that these guys are without talent, some of the loops and rifts are quite catchy, such as on songs like "Intro to Life," "Human Condition," and "Head Case." There are glimmers of promise here (especially the song "High Pursuit"), but otherwise it just plain doesn't gel. It sounds more like they were trying to throw together everything they think would be popular and hope somebody would find something to like. With a few exceptions this CD sounds very amateurish - like a kid in the basement plying with his new Acid loops. Maybe Ming and FS will get it together someday. Here's hoping.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bringin' back the funk, September 7, 2001

By 

Brian Willis (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Human Condition (Audio CD)

Man, these guys can't put out a bad cd. I just started listening to them last year and I've been waiting for this new cd to come out since then. And in my opinion, this is the best one yet. This album is all over the place but it stays supa-funky the whole time. Honestly this is the best cd I've picked up all year. Its got breaks,funk, electro, 2-step (but not that cheesy vocally 2-step, this bassline will rattle your teeth) and everywhere in between. Every single track is slammin'
!!!!!!PICK THIS UP!!!!!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ming & FS's BEST, December 31, 2006

By 

Brian D. Bailey "thebunnis" (LI, NY, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Human Condition (Audio CD)

Ok - i've read some of the negative reviews & (although I am suprised) some make good points. The album lacks some cohesion. HOWEVER. DO NOT DISCOUNT THIS ALBUM. I would say that MOST of the songs on this album are amazingly original & more importantly, earth shaking in force. It's been a while since i listened to it & i actually lost my copy, but I would say that the first few tracks are the weakest. Skip a few & by i think around track 5 or 6 from then all the way to the end with the possible exception of one more track, are all nothing short of pure genius. I loved Hell's Kitchen more than anything, but to say that this pales in comparison with Hell's Kitchen does not make sense to me. I think Human Condition actually has more cohesion & a greater abundance of great songs than it's predecessor. The songs that are good on Human Condition blow the Hell's Kitchen material away. Well i think so anyway. BUY IT. You won't be disappointed AS LONG AS YOU GIVE IT A CHANCE (like i'm thinking, some of these reviewers did not).

PEACe