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CD Review by Rob Faust Nigo Ape Sounds Mo Wax · Punk/hip hop hybrid from Japanese artist, DJ Nigo. Ostensibly released to combine the ethos of punk with hip hop, longtime Japanese sound artist and designer Nigo collaborates with Money Mark, Kudo and Mo Wax founder James Lavalle to create an album of half and half. While he’s certainly tried to break down the musical barrier between the two genres, the punk portion of the album sounds like little more than the washed out power pop choking today’s airwaves. The hip hop tracks settle into the more tripped out realm of things with a brief pit stop in the land o’ dub. The hip hop works from the same platform as Spooky, more sound collage work meeting a bed of beat and, like Spooky, it’s sounding a little tired – avant garde for ’96 doesn’t hold the same punch today. Save for one dub track and three vocal tracks the album suffers from the excessive self indulgence of too many half-finished ideas that utilize many dated musical clichés dressed up in the guise of avant-hybridization. 2/5

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