1 State Of The Nation
Vocals [Additional] Damon Albarn 0:25
2 3030 7:29
3 The Fantabulous Rap Extravaganza
Vocals [Additional] Prince Paul 0:21
4 Things You Can Do 4:59
5 Positive Contact 4:42
6 St. Catherine St.
Vocals [Additional] Beans, Mr. Lif, P. Wingerter, Peanut Butter Wolf, Verna Brown 0:43
7 Virus 4:26
8 Upgrade (A Brymar College Course) 4:10
9 New Coke
Vocals [Additional] Mark Nishita 0:41
10 Mastermind 3:34
11 National Movie Review
Vocals [Additional] Brad Roberts
Engineer – Scott Harding 0:53
12 Madness 4:38
13 Meet Cleofis Randolph The Patriarch
Vocals [Additional] MC Paul Barman 0:36
14 Time Keeps On Slipping
Vocals [Additional] Damon Albarn 4:59
15 The News (A Wholly Owned Subsidiary Of Microsoft Inc.)
Vocals [Additional] – Hafdis Huld 0:49
16 Turbulence (Remix)
Remix – Mark Bell 3:33
17 The Fantabulous Rap Extravaganza Part II
Vocals [Additional] Prince Paul 0:37
18 Battlesong 4:07
19 Love Story 3:26
20 Memory Loss
Vocals [Additional] Sean Lennon 4:39
21 The Assmann 640 Speaks 0:31
Deltron 3030 is similar to Dan the Automator's previous work (with Kool Keith), Dr. Octagon. Both albums have futuristic themes, but whereas Dr. Octagon is an incompetent, time-traveling serial killer surgeon with a lot of absurdist dark humor, Del the Funky Homosapien's Deltron Zero is less a flawed protagonist; Zero is a rebel bent on bringing back civilization to the blighted post-apocalyptic world of 3030 who doesn't so much use dark humor as he uses the dark surroundings of his life as a focal point of his raps. And whereas Octagon is simply an absurdist (though brilliant) album filled with Keith's off-kilter rhyming and bizarre humor, Deltron 3030 manages to transcend into something more profound within the hour allotted to it.
Deltron 3030 follows the story of Deltron Zero, a rebel MC wanting to bring back civilization to the dystrophic world of 3030, where even the president has become a corrupt ruler ("No president, we have a ruler/'You are to be inside by 9 o'clock or we will shoot ya'"). But even Deltron, in all of his power ("telepathic mind that takes its greatness from the matrix") realizes that there might be nothing he can do about the state of the world, as seen in the track, 'Madness' ("paid out the asshole and still seen as another face on the totem pole, my sponsors are monsters, and everyone thinks that I'm one"). Though the narrative isn't exactly what one would call clear or coherent (as with most hip hop concept albums), there's definitely a lot of subtext to the troubles Del himself has faced as a recording artist (being dropped after his second album on Elektra records for being 'too different' from what they wanted).
Right off the bat, listeners are treated to the epic-sounding title track, featuring Del's tight rhymes that are sure to appeal to anyone with an appreciation for sci-fi or 'nerdcore' ("I insert these codes for the cataclysm/Ever since I had the vision use my magnetism/In this modern metropolis they tries to lock us up/Under preposterous laws that's not for us" is a particular gem in this song), funky bass-lines and various samples (including what sounds to be Gregorian chanting) by Automator, and Kid Koala's subtle DJing all combine to form one fantastic song that's very dissimilar to most hip hop out there.
The subsequent songs are certainly nothing to scoff at, either. Each song has its own style, from the more lighthearted "Things You Can Do" and "Positive Contact", to the more depressing "Time Keeps on Slippin'" and "Madness". There are no duds on this release, a feat that does not often happen in the single-happy world of hip hop. My personal favorite is the song "Virus", wherein Del details his plans to unleash a computer virus on the world that will "crash your whole computer system and revert you to papyrus".
Much like Dr. Octagon, some of the album is composed of 'skits' which better immerse the listener into Nakamura and Del's world of 3030, all of them done by famous underground hip hop performers or various other musicians such as Damon Albarn, frontman of Blur, Beans of the Anti-Pop consortium and Sean Lennon. And, of course, the Assmann 640. Most of the skits range from funny (Beastie Boys keyboardist Money Mark as a bitter old codger complaining about New Coke and Mr. T), confusing (Paul Barman's nonsensical rapping as Cleofis Randolph the Patriarch), to oddly compelling (Crash Test Dummies' Brad Roberts reviewing Strange Brew).
Del's performances on the mic are definitely a highlight of the album. This is his strongest stuff to date, and despite the verbal braggadocio that's become part of his style, he manages to mix in some relevant messages along with references to Transformers and mechas. His wordplay is strongest on the title track '3030', as well as the melodic and mysterious 'Mastermind' ("First we coerce your brain patterns/Collaborate with time consume and reprogram it/I apply the flow cannon/The combo so slamin'"). As stated before, 'Madness' is one of the landmark tracks on Deltron, as it implies Del's thoughts on hip hop, the appropriation of it by the wealthy, and the black race. Good sci-fi is always about the present, as they say.
The main reason Deltron 3030 is so spectacular is due in the large part to the producer, Dan 'The Automator' Nakamura. Del's always been a great MC, but it's really Dan's beats that make this a defining work for him. From the funky Del-like beats in 'Love Story', to the cinematic '3030', to the sinister-sounding 'Virus', Automator succeeds in taking the disc to the next level; it'd be a great record even if it were just the instrumentals (as evidenced by the complementary release of just that, entitled Tron 3030). Dan the Automator is truly the best producer in the biz, even better than Prince Paul or MetalFace.
Kid Koala's very overlooked on this album - one of the few negatives of Deltron 3030. His subtle cuts aren't really suited for being noticed on an album such as this, but when they're there, they're there (examples such as 'Mastermind' and 'Madness'). Though he's not used to his full potential, his contributions to the various tracks are good to say the least.
Deltron 3030 is certainly one of the seminal albums of underground hip hop (perhaps even better than Dr. Octagon), and should be required listening for any fan of the underground or nerdcore. Even if you're not a fan of hip hop or even a total newbie to it, you should check it out. It was one of the first albums I ever listened to and it was the main reason to this day that I'm such a big fan of hip hop. So if that's not a recommendation, I don't know what is. (Dailyraider.com)
MORE REVIEWS >> Sputnikmusic // Pitchfork.com
Deltron Zero - Del Tha Funkee Homosapien
The Cantankerous Captain Aptos - Dan The Automator
Skiznod The Boy Wonder - Kid Koala
The Booger - Mark Bell
Astacio The Nudist - Brandon Arnovick
Sir Damien Thorn VII of the Cockfosters Clan - Damon Albarn
Vince Paul McMahon - "GQ" Prince Paul
Cleofis Randolph The Patriarch - Paul Barman
That Bickering Old Guy - Mark Nishita
Walt "Clyde" Mercado - Sean Lennon
That Guy From Canada - Brad Roberts
News Anchor - Hafdis Huld
Billy Ray Valiftine - Mr. Lif
Wimpy - Peanut Butter Wolf
Lorenzo Van Peebles - Beans from Anti-Pop
Miss Saigon - Verna (VXBX) Brown
Hooker - P Wingerter
Miss Blauers - Scott Harding
Quzar - Del
Battle Song Receptionist - Del
Deltron Robot - J "SciFi" Johnson
Little Petey Parker - Burton Kong
Dominic "Corinthian" Leathuré - Domino
Ironside - Olde Clem
The New & Improved Whitney - Aimee
Patient #451 James Cole - Colin
Jeebus - The Pea
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