Dum Pendebat Filius

Girlies wanna ride with a brother like me,

Cause they be hear me gettin’ funky frequently

–LL Cool J, “The Boomin’ System”

That’s right, chers lecteurs — it’s your chance to cruise like Dumpendebat. Today you’re getting eight MP3s, if you want them, of some of my favorite car music.

Like many Americans, I spend a fair amount of time in my car, getting from place to place. Whether I’m at home, crawling through my wretched daily commute up I-395 North or inching down Wilson Blvd in Arlington, or on the road, making my way through the poorly-paved back roads and cookie-cutter strip malls of Atlantic County, NJ, I need to hear some music when I’m driving. These days, there are two artists in particular that I’m spending lots of car time with; here are some tracks for you.

Roots Manuva

Last summer, a friend turned me on to The Streets, which led me to Roots Manuva. I’ve got two of his albums, and they’re both excellent. Here are four tracks:

1. “Awfully Deep” — The title track from Awfully Deep (2005). The grim tale of Roots Manuva’s struggle with mental illness.
2. “Chin High” — Also from Awfully Deep. Very nice. A philosophical statement of sorts.
3. “Evil Rabbit” — From Run Come Save Me (2001). Groovy.
4. “Swords in the Dirt” — Also from Run Come Save Me. This track is seriously ill.

Meat Beat Manifesto

The older I get, the more I like Meat Beat Manifesto. Jack Dangers is simply a genius. I’ve put up MBM tracks several times before. If I can convert one reader to MBM fandom, I’ll have done the world a service through the wonder of the Internet. This is some serious cruising music.

1. “Now” — From 99% (1990). The first track on the album, and it gets right down to business. The horn riff is particularly effective, offering that nice bit of punch.
2. “No Echo In Space” — From RUOK? (2002). Spaced-out beats.
3. “Where Are You?/Enuff” — From Actual Sounds + Voices (1998). Nice beats at the forefront, subtle effects in the background. Eminently enjoyable.
4. “Boss Society?” — From Jack Dangers’ amazing solo album Loudness Clarifies (2004). This track just kicks an amazing amount of butt. Basslines don’t get any groovier than this, and the amount of effects and details mixed in is truly impressive. You’ll hear something new every time you listen to it. Amazing, amazing track.

Enjoy, readers.