Artist: BEASTIE BOYS
Album: THE MIX-UP (CD)

Year: 2007
Media type: CD

With six highly celebrated official hip-hop albums under their belts, Adam Horowitz, Adam Yauch, and Michael Diamond have little left to prove to rap fans, except perhaps that they can still rock their instruments like they once did. With this in mind, THE MIX-UP brings listeners a full-length, jazz-funk jam-band exercise in a similar vein to the 1996 release, THE IN-SOUND FROM WAY-OUT, or the instrumental cuts on ILL COMMUNICATION.

None of the Beasties go anywhere near the mic on THE MIX-UP (except for the odd whistle), but thankfully, and as the thorough tracklist proves positive, all three can still hold their own in a jam session. Most cuts rely on a Hammond organ groove and funky wah-guitar, with "4th Street Break" and "The Rat Cage" proving especially tight. True students of the post-modern pilfer approach to music-making that they are, one can even hear traces of Lips Inc.'s "Funky Town" creeping into the Beastie's guitar riffs of "Freaky Hijiki."

Mike D said that "even though The Mix-Up is a 'post-punk instrumental' album, the Beasties have no plans to ditch vocals for good. In fact, they are currently planning another version of the album that will feature collaborations with 'a pretty wide array' of 'mostly newer' vocalists."

Snippets of all the songs on the album can be found on BeastieBoys.Com along with the video for one of the songs, "Off the Grid". The video for "The Rat Cage" has also been released.

The album debuted at number 15 on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling about 44,000 copies in its first week. As of July 11, 2007, the album has sold 62,781 copies in the US. In Australia, this album debuted at number 42. In the UK, the album debuted at number 79. It is their lowest charting album in the UK so far, the highest being Hello Nasty debuting at number 1. According to BallerStatus.com, The Mix Up was the highest selling hip hop album of the week.

TRACKLIST:

01. B For My Name
02. 14th St. Break
03. Suco De Tangerina
04. The Gala Event
05. Electric Worm
06. Freaky Hijiki
07. Off The Grid
08. The Rat Cage
09. The Melee
10. Dramastically Different
11. The Cousin Of Death
12. The Kangaroo Rat

LINE-UP:

Adam Horovitz (guitars)
Mark Nishita (Clavinet)
Adam Yauch (bass guitar)
Michael Diamond (drums)
Alfredo Ortiz (percussion)