Top Ranking (A Diplo Dub) [Import]

Santogold & Diplo (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 12, 2008)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Phantom Sound & Vision
• ASIN: B001CFLGVO
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,524,195 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Santogold- I'm A Lady (Diplo Mix ft. Amanda Blank) (Link 2) Santogold- Les Artistes (XXXchange Mix ft. Movado) (Link 2) Richie Spice And Ratatat- Marijuana (Link 2) You may have heard of Diplo and Santogold's new mega collaboration mix-tape 'Top Ranking'. I was late on the uptake (that changed, and fast), and if you still haven't got a clue, remove yourself from under that rock, and please Google it asap. This tape is 'so hot right now', mostly down to it's ambition. Sprawling over 75 minutes, this is stacked full of rarities, with delectable names to boot. Does 'Santogold- Creator (Mumdance Mix ft Jammer, Badness, Chronik Rage, Slikman & Tempz)' float your boat? 'Top Ranking' is almost impossible to 'review' as such, due to its pure size and density. The majority of songs feature at least one artist (disregarding both Santogold and Diplo) if not three. I've listened to the tape in it's entirety a few times, and I will say this: if you love either Diplo or Santogold, this is an essential buy. However, to give you a track by track review of this mammoth tape would probably keep me glued to my computer for the best part of a week. Instead, take it as a whole- a whole that is absolutely incredible. We get three completely new tracks from Santogold, and finally a musical meeting has been arranged between M.I.A. and Santi. They don't disappoint (see here for full coverage of 'Get It Up'), and I could easily see a Diplo/Santogold/M.I.A. tape coming out in the future -if M.I.A. continues with music, that is. And whilst I'm not fond of the constant comparisons between the two, this tape blurs the line between them. Diplo has worked with M.I.A. before on her Piracy Funds Terrorism tape- which was pretty much identical in concept. The comparisons, however, are besides the point- Santogold and Diplo are the ones in the spotlight, not M.I.A. and Santi. They really are an unstoppable combination: Santogold is already one of the most inventive artists around at the moment, and Diplo never fails to accentuate and expand her sound even further. This tape has something for everyone, and pretty much every genre under the sun finds its way somewhere onto the 35 tracks. This tape is off the wall, absolutely insane and worth every penny. Cop it. --The Cold Cut

Product Description

Diplo meets Santogold in a dub chamber of guest exclusive madness! This collaboration mix CD brings together the best of Diplo's scatterbrained mixtape genius and Santogold's perfectionist ear. They spent almost as much time on this thing as some people do on albums- getting together in the studio to record tracks, recruiting people for guest spots and remixes, going back and forth on what tracks to include - but it's all worth it for this one in a million mixtape. Including 35 tracks with exclusives just for this mix (the Diplo produced "Icaurs" and a live band cover of Bad Brains "Right Brigade"), plus Diplo mixes you won't hear anywhere else (Santogold over Panda Bear?!) plus remixes from Switch & XXXchange, guest verses from Amanda Blank and Kid Cudi, and even some dubplates from Cutty Ranks and then some. Between all this you get Diplo's cool selections and cuts from Santogold influences like Sir Mixalot, Devo, Aretha Franklin, The Clash and many more. The mix is fully tracked and comes in a deluxe digipack.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lights out, July 31, 2008

By 

Alec "Alec" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Top Ranking (Audio CD)

Mad Decent's entire shtick has been multiculturalism. From the podcasts, including DJ Sega / Boy 8-Bit's mashing of genres, to Diplo's ability to take dub step, B-More, hyphy, crunk, favela, baile funk, French house, (insert your favorite dance genre here) and make it both street and club friendly, Mad Decent has been a fantastic conduit for music lovers. Diplo's live shows and mixtapes have been incredible for making the artists he selects shine. This CD is no exception. Santogold already has a legacy of her own, but Diplo manages to not only build up her sound but contextualize it through 30 years of music, ranging from reggae to 80s pop to grime.

If anything, that's what makes this mix so special and so different from Piracy Funds Terrorism (his mix with MIA). This disc is not introducing a new artist but providing a different landscape with which to listen to her music. Inclusions such as the Clash, B-52s, and Barrington Levy may seem diverse, yet with the dubbed out Diplo backdrop, they fit perfectly into the Santogold aesthetic. A tribal-esque remix by Radioclit of "Get it Up" and XXXChange's remix of "Les Artistes", both spectacular in their own rights, stand taller when surrounded by the classics of Desmond Dekker, Nora Dean, and Devo.

So why should you buy this mix? It's a great selection of tracks that not just anyone could put together, let alone put together well. Diplo's work here is an accomplishment, taking Santogold and making her appear not that different than some of the classics. Pick this one up, ASAP.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic!, September 1, 2008

By 

A. Keshi "SofistaFunK" (London,England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Top Ranking (Audio CD)

A great mixtape which mixes Hip Hop, Dub, Bashment (which I usually don't like, this mixtape has literally changed my mind on it) Electronica, Reggae, Rock...all blended into remixes as well as songs. It's a must buy, really.

Best clips:
Shawty Lo - Dey Know_Stagger
MIA, Santogold, Radioclit- Get It Up (remix)
Dutty Six Pack
Turbulence

5.0 out of 5 stars What a FANTASTIC mix of music., March 17, 2011

By 

J. Zamarelli (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Top Ranking (Audio CD)

All I can say is that I love this album. Probably one of the best mixtapes I've ever heard. It's been getting major "ipod rotation" for a while now, and I never fail to be enthralled. I was a fan of Diplo from his work with MIA, and really liked some Santogold songs too(although I have to admit that a lot of her album bored me). This is just a fantastic, crazy mix of music - long too. Perfect for a party or a long subway ride. Diplo pulls in club music, rap, New Wave, punk, and reggae. Santogold is only on about two thirds of it but she holds everything together. The remixes of her songs practically put her album to shame (even great tracks like Creator are improved upon, with a crazier version that Switch came back to remix here). MIA makes a great appearence too, quite possibly stealing the show on a track with Santogold called "Get It Up". GET. THIS. RECORD. NOW.