Music by Cavelight

Music by Cavelight
Studio album by Blockhead
Released	March 23, 2004
Genre	Instrumental hip hop, trip hop, electronica
Length	51:07 (UK)
Label	Ninja Tune
Producer	Blockhead
Blockhead chronology
Music by Cavelight (2004) Downtown Science (2005)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Pitchfork Media	(6.5/10)[2]
PopMatters	(favorable)[3]
Stylus	(D+)[4]

Music by Cavelight is the debut album by hip-hop producer Blockhead, released on the Ninja Tune label on March 23, 2004 (see 2004 in music).

The album is completely instrumental save for sampled fragments of speech. Scratches are provided by Omega One, guitar and bass by Damien Paris of Brooklyn-based band The Giraffes and violin by Baby Dayliner.

The album was released in different versions in North America and the UK, with the track listings rearranged and featuring some different tracks. A further version, limited to 1,000 copies, came with a QuickTime video for "Insomniac Olympics" directed by Sam Arthur, and a bonus disc consisting of Blockhead-produced instrumentals of tracks from Aesop Rock's Daylight and Bazooka Tooth. The tracks "Insomniac Olympics", "Sunday Seance" and "Jet Son" were released as singles.

Track "Triptych Pt. 2" features modified sample from Alan Parsons Project's song "Don't let it show" (first appearance - on album I Robot (1977)) with vocals by Dave Townsend.

Overview

Music by Cavelight came about when independent label Mush Records, for whom Blockhead had already produced a breakbeat album for DJs, asked him to produce a wholly instrumental record,^[5] in contrast to his usual work producing tracks for rappers (notably Aesop Rock, whose Mush album Float he had also produced). After Mush stopped returning his phone calls, he and his manager sent the album around other labels before Ninja Tune, having received a copy through fellow electronic label Warp, offered to release it.^[6]

Track listing

UK version

1. "Insomniac Olympics" (T. Simon) – 5:06
2. "Carnivores Unite" (T. Simon) – 4:46
   • Guitar: Damien Paris
   • Scratches: Omega One
3. "You've Got Maelstrom" (T. Simon) – 4:47
   • Scratches: Omega One
4. "Sunday Seance" (T. Simon) – 5:26
5. "A Better Place" (T. Simon) – 4:26
   • Guitar: Damien Paris
6. "Road Rage Breakdown" (T. Simon) – 4:15
7. "Triptych Pt. 1" (T. Simon) – 4:03
8. "Triptych Pt. 2" (T. Simon) – 3:04
9. "Triptych Pt. 3" (T. Simon/D. Paris) – 2:54
   • Bass: Damien Paris
10. "Jet Son" (T. Simon) – 3:48
    • Guitar: Damien Paris
    • Scratches: Omega One
11. "Breathe and Start" (T. Simon) – 4:22
    • Violin: Baby Dayliner
    • Scratches: Omega One
12. "Music by Cavelight" (T. Simon) – 4:10

North American version

1. "Intro: Hello Popartz" (T. Simon) – 2:24
   • Scratches by Omega One
2. "You've Got Maelstrom" (T. Simon) – 4:47
   • Scratches: Omega One
3. "Carnivores Unite" (T. Simon) – 4:46
   • Guitar: Damien Paris
   • Scratches: Omega One
4. "Sunday Seance" (T. Simon) – 5:26
5. "A Better Place" (T. Simon) – 4:26
   • Guitar: Damien Paris
6. "Road Rage Breakdown" (T. Simon) – 4:15
7. "Triptych Pt. 1 & 2" (T. Simon) – 7:07
8. "Triptych Pt. 3" (T. Simon/D. Paris) – 2:54
   • Bass: Damien Paris
9. "Jet Son" (T. Simon) – 3:48
   • Guitar: Damien Paris
   • Scratches: Omega One
10. "Music By Cavelight" (T. Simon) – 4:10
11. "Breathe And Start" (T. Simon) – 4:22
    • Violin: Baby Dayliner
    • Scratches: Omega One
12. "Bullfight In Ireland" (T. Simon) – 4:46
    • Guitar: Damien Paris
13. "Insomniac Olympics" (T. Simon) – 5:06
14. "Insomniac Olympics" (QuickTime video) (limited edition version only)

Bonus disc (limited edition version)

1. "Forest Crunk" (T. Simon) – 4:28
   • Originally appeared on Daylight by Aesop Rock
2. "Daylight" (T. Simon) – 2:15
   • Originally appeared on Daylight by Aesop Rock
3. "Night Light" (T. Simon) – 4:20
   • Originally appeared on Daylight by Aesop Rock
4. "Maintenance" (T. Simon) – 4:29
   • Originally appeared on Daylight by Aesop Rock
5. " – 11:35" (T. Simon) – 4:40
   • Originally appeared on Bazooka Tooth by Aesop Rock
6. "Babies with Guns" (T. Simon)
   • Listed on the sleeve through a pressing plant error, this instrumental version of a track from Aesop Rock's Bazooka Tooth does not actually feature on the disc.

References

1. ^ Allmusic review
2. ^ Pitchfork Media review
3. ^ PopMatters review
4. ^ Stylus review
5. ^ Blockhead: Music by Cavelight
6. ^ Blockhead: Feeling his way