`Die Before You Die' is a swansong of sorts for Zachary Mastoon's long-running Caural project. Completed just before his signature sampler (the Yamaha SU700) was stolen from his studio, he saw this as a kind of sign to draw a line underneath the material and move onto the next project. It's sad to see him go too, and the music on this EP makes you realize how forward thinking his music has been over the last ten years. Sure these days instrumental, electro-hip hop releases are a dime a dozen, but turn the clock back a few years and they were harder to pin down. Probably the most telling and also the most successful of this handful of tunes is the humorously titled `Sorry, Underground Hip Hop Happened Ten Years Ago (for Regan)', which takes the word "Yo" sampled from hundreds of rappers. There's a smart rhythm that builds up through the careful and precise chops of Q-Tip, Guru, Jeru, Mos Def, Busta and too many more to mention.A1 Sugarcane Girlfriend A2 Dragon Top B1 All Doors Open To The Same Room B2 Sunburned B3 Sorry, Underground Hip Hop Happened Ten Years Ago (for Regan)
