The two have been tight ever since Madlib moved into the neighborhood when Declaime was nine, and the 'In The Beginning' series is a tribute to that friendship and to Oxnard, California, the city that raised them. These are treasure-trove recordings that let you hear the early work of Madlib, who fused funk, jazz, soul and psychedelia into his beatmaking and went on to influence countless producers. There's no shortage of lost-tape reissues out there, but this one really radiates love. It's also a thrill that "Rollem Right" (sample_3) turns up near the end, boldly sampling the breezy guitar line from the rare groove classic "Movin' in the Right Direction" by Steve Parks. (Original Japanese text by AYAM)