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 to access audio and video on collective you need real player.Don’t call it a comeback. “I didn’t have anything to do with it but I wanna check it out. I’ve been waiting for the album to drop,” says Kool Keith. “I’m a consumer. I got it already but I wanna buy it again. I think it’s a pop smash.” Not words you’d usually associate with a rapper and his own album, but then Kool Keith is no ordinary rapper and, it seems, The Return Of Dr Octagon, is no ordinary Kool Keith album. The long-awaited sequel to his 1996 original resurrects the most popular among the former Ultramagnetic MCs mainman’s arsenal of aliases - the warped mastermind behind the sci-fi sex masterpiece Dr Octagonecologyst - but there are many who believe the good gynaecologist’s return is under a flag of convenience. Although Keith, contrary to his own testimony, is an active participant, the album was ultimately assembled by production team One Watt Sun, an Australian-American trio based in a medieval tower in Prague. Some tracks feature Keith in little more than a loop, repeating the same words ad infinitum, while the LP concludes with Princess Superstar on vocals and Keith conspicuous by his absence. The suspicion is that the US label, OCD International, deemed the Dr Octagon brand too valuable to allow some unfinished rhymes to wither in the vaults.  He's Kool, he's called Keith. He's Kool Keith. Despite this, The Return Of Dr Octagon works well, thanks to the spunky electro production and the unadulterated joy of hearing Keith’s words put to some forward-thinking beats for the first time in too long. Keith’s prolific output and peerless ability to sprinkle resonant phrases like confetti, coupled with his history of mental instability (he was once a patient at Bellevue psychiatric hospital), have combined to ensure public fascination, which hasn’t been matched by the quality of recent records. He admits that the well of his genius was running dry in LA (where he lived from 1992-2002), and feels his return to New York (“a very lyrical city”) has revived him. “Now I’m back to my cursing. I like cursing,” he laughs. “In New York you tend to write hard-edged.” Although he’s glad to be back in his native city, he’s not about to immerse himself fully in its often parochial ways, thinking of himself (rightly) as an “international star”. “I never had a closed mind. I never really hung around anybody. I stay close to people – ‘hey, how you doing’ and kept walking – but I never had a bond with people.” Keith’s ties are to his fans worldwide and despite this album’s odd genesis, they're sure to welcome his return.
Steve Yates
Dr Octagon – The Return Of Dr Octagon, released 21 August 06 on OCD.
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comment by dandelorean
Nov 2, 2006
Are you one to persue girls that are satisfied with donna karen to spend time at the cake store ? With a Rep leading through every variety of RGB colours, he depends on bio bread and spring water to keep others out of his refrigerator. If your really hungery you can visit him on various projects at the butchers all for a pure independance as good as classic George Washington who sleeps on us.These are just a few outskirts of our artists orchid so please. No fingering semi Jimmy Hendrix cord grease in bellum omnium contra soup. Yours sincerely dandelorean
comment by amir
Aug 19, 2006
I loved the first Dr Octagon album, it's a bit of a shame there's no Dan The Automator on this - he's a brilliant producer.Have any of you listened to any of Kool Keith's stuff with the Ultramagnetic MCs? It's brilliant.
comment by Spinky
Aug 18, 2006
Must admit, I listened to the sample tracks, and I wasn't impressed either.What is Dan the Automater doing now anyway? Did he really do the last Franz Ferdinand album?
comment by SamaSiega
Aug 18, 2006
Sorry but this is just weak. No Dan the Automator, no Q-Bert and just scraps of Kool Keith it's deflating. Naughty Collective, you got me all excited about this as well. x
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