On vinyl: Quasimoto – The Unseen
The Unseen was released June 13, 2000 and turned into one of the new decade’s first sleeper hits, ranking on Spin’s year-end list at a time when the producer and label were unknown outside of hip-hop DJ circles. This was Madlib’s solo debut, the first album in a rich catalog. At the time the album came out the identity of Quasimoto himself was a bit of a mystery – maybe he was Madlib, maybe he wasn’t. Maybe it’s none of our business.
Madlib created Quasimoto as someone to rap on his beats for his own private listening while living in Oxnard and Santa Barbara in the 1990s. The Unseen was the result of Peanut Butter Wolf’s convincing Madlib to release these recordings for the rest of the us to hear.
The album was recorded on tape. Several tracks are inspired by, and sourced from records by Melvin Van Peebles. Album artwork by Jeff Jank. Read about the character: History of Lord Quas.