Audio Mixers: Koichi "Oppenheimer" Matsuki; Chris Bemand; Eliud "Lou" Ortiz; Toshihiko Miyoshi; Brandon Abelin; Ken Ifill.

Audio Remixers: DJ Krush; Toshihiko Miyoshi.

Recording information: Ameraycan Recording Studios, LA; Anticon's 59th St. Chemist Studio; Battery Recording Studio, NY; Boca Music, IL; Definitive Jux Studios; Hal Studio, Tokyo, Bunkamura Studio, Tokyo, Japan; Platinum Island Studios, NY; Show-on Studio, Tokyo, Japan; Studio Shangri-La, Tokyo, Japan; The Deadcloud Studio, Oakland, CA; The Studio, Philadelphia, PA; Vehicular Lab.

Photographer: Daisuke Ishizaka.

As Japan's most acclaimed hip-hop emissary, DJ Krush has been expanding the lexicon of turntablism, loops, samples, and boom-bap since the early 1990s. Taking his early inspirations from the concrete jungle of the South Bronx, and charting them into distinctly jazz-influenced waters, Krush has influenced legions of like-minded hip-hop renegades. STEPPING STONES is a unique career retrospective spanning nine albums and a myriad of styles, moods, and tones. Expanding the very notion of a "best-of album," Krush has re-cooked the originals, lending his distinctive touch once again to tracks that have outlasted musical trends and have become classics in their own right.

Approaching his musical canvas like a painter, DJ Krush contrasts soft-focus atmospherics with hard-edged beats. On the track "Duality," an orchestral sample swells over an arpeggiated synth stab--a contrast between light and shadow akin to an aural chiaroscuro. STEPPING STONES, however, is not just for the blunted chill-out set. On the updated "Shinjiro," a slinky double-time bass groove provides a sinuous counterpoint to Mos Def's languid rapping, evidence that Krush has the chops for club bangers as well. Showcasing the full breadth and Zen-like depth of Krush's hip-hop artistry, STEPPING STONES is a diverse collection by one of the genre's true originals.

After a dozen years of releasing unique beats, warped turntablist constructions, and hip-hop that's subterranean yet somehow connected to the genre's golden age, Japanese turntablist and producer DJ Krush released a remixed "best of" that offers a snapshot of his career for newcomers while giving longtime fans some new angels on tracks they've most likely devoured by now. Some numbers are drastically remixed, some are lightly dusted, but overall it seems he worked really hard on making Stepping Stones flow and hang together, quite the accomplishment considering any Krush construction can pull from any number of genres on its own. The double CD -- which was originally released as two separate CDs in Japan -- is divided into a "Lyricism" disc, which features the producer with one risk-taking vocalist after another, and a "Soundscapes" disc focusing on the instrumental side of the man, with appearances by his American counterpart DJ Shadow and pianist Ken Shima. While the Shadow team-up is a fascinating, choreographed stumble through film music, cocktail jazz, and ominous electronica, it's the otherworldly folding Krush does to Shima's piano that makes "Stormy Cloud" one of the most rewarding tracks on the whole collection. Fan favorite "Kemuri" gets a light rework that softens some of its punch, making this formerly beatbox driven track sound sinister and lurking in the corners. This darker, somewhat detached attitude also figures into the new touches Krush has put on the "Lyricism" disc -- check how "Final Home" with Esthero sounds more "late night" than ever -- but what's amazing is how supportive the man can be without surrendering his own style, especially surprising when you consider these cuts are now "re-imagined." Collabos are everywhere in above- and underground hip-hop, but Krush really nails the "working together to create something new" thing better than most, proving he's not just gifted but smart, and not just a music producer but a music fan. The high-grade lyrics brought by Mos Def, Aesop Rock, Mr. Lif, and practically everyone else makes choosing the highlights of this disc even harder. If you want to be instantly blown away by what Krush has to offer, check the more aggressive Holonic: The Self Megamix collection from 1998. If you really want a proper, right-sized introduction, Stepping Stones is the way to go. ~ David Jeffries

After a dozen years of releasing unique beats, warped turntablist constructions, and hip-hop that's subterranean yet somehow connected to the genre's golden age, Japanese turntablist and producer DJ Krush released two remixed best-of CDs -- one with vocal cuts, one with instrumentals -- that offer a snapshot of his career for newcomers while giving longtime fans some new angles on tracks they've most likely devoured by now. Some numbers are drastically remixed and some are lightly dusted, but overall it seems he worked really hard on making both volumes of Stepping Stones hang together, quite the accomplishment considering any Krush construction can pull from any number of genres on its own. As on the Lyricism disc, the new touches he has put on these tracks are dark and detached. While the team-up with his American counterpart DJ Shadow is a fascinating, choreographed stumble through film music, cocktail jazz, and ominous electronica, it's the otherworldly folding Krush does to pianist Ken Shima's melodies that makes "Stormy Cloud" one of the most rewarding tracks on the whole collection. Fan favorite "Kemuri" gets a light reworking that softens some of its punch, making this formerly beatbox-driven track sound sinister and lurking in the corners. The remixes flow perfectly from one to the next, and while Stepping Stones: The Self-Remixed Best (Soundscapes) is a success, it's best to skip this single-disc Japanese release and look for the American two-CD set that combines this disc with its vocal counterpart, Stepping Stones: The Self-Remixed Best (Lyricism). ~ David Jeffries

After a dozen years of releasing unique beats, warped turntablist constructions, and hip-hop that's subterranean yet somehow connected to the genre's golden age, Japanese turntablist and producer DJ Krush released two remixed best-of CDs -- one with vocal cuts, one with instrumentals -- that offer a snapshot of his career for newcomers while giving longtime fans some new angels on tracks they've most likely devoured by now. Some numbers are drastically remixed, some are lightly dusted, but overall it seems he worked really hard on making both volumes of Stepping Stones hang together; quite the accomplishment considering any Krush construction can pull from any number of genres on its own. The new touches Krush has put on these cuts are dark and detached, just check how "Final Home" with Esthero sounds more "late night" than ever. The remixes flow from one to the other extremely well but what's amazing is how supportive the man can be without surrendering his own style, especially surprising when you consider these cuts are now "re-imagined." Collabos are everywhere in above- and underground hip-hop, but Krush really nails the "working together to create something new" thing better than most, proving he's not just gifted but smart, and not just a music producer but a music fan. The high-grade lyrics brought by Mos Def, Aesop Rock, Mr. Lif, and practically everyone else makes choosing highlights almost impossible. While Stepping Stones: The Self-Remixed Best (Lyricism) is a success, it's best to skip this single-disc Japanese release and look for the American two-CD set which combines this disc with its instrumental counterpart, Stepping Stones: The Self-Remixed Best (Soundscapes). ~ David Jeffries