''Subliminal Simulation'' is the second

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by Canadian hip hop group Dream Warriors, released in 1994 in Canada and worldwide in 1995, on

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...

Pendulum Records Pendulum Records is a hip hop-oriented record label originally founded in 1991 by Ruben Rodriguez, who was then working as a senior vice president for urban music at Elektra Records. In 1992, Rodriguez resigned his position at Elektra to devote m ...

. The original duo, King Lou and Capital Q, expanded to include Spek and DJ Luv (

Michie Mee Michelle McCullock (born November 1, 1970), better known by her stage name Michie Mee, is a Canadian rapper and actress. Canada's first notable female MC, she is considered a national hip-hop pioneer. Early life and career McCullock was born in ...

's former DJ).

Background

Following their well-received debut album, ''

And Now the Legacy Begins ''And Now the Legacy Begins'' is the debut album of Canadian hip hop duo Dream Warriors, released April 23, 1991. It was released worldwide on Island Records and in the United States on sub-label 4th & B'way Records (although it was not a hit in ...

'', Dream Warriors' second effort featured appearances by

Guru Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverentia ...

and

DJ Premier Christopher Edward Martin (born March 21, 1966), known professionally as DJ Premier (also known as Preemo), is an American record producer and DJ. He is considered one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time. He was half of the hip hop duo ...

Gang Starr Gang Starr was an American hip hop duo, consisting of Texas record producer DJ Premier and Massachusetts rapper Guru. For the entirety of their association, they were based out of Brooklyn, New York. Gang Starr was at its height from 1989 to 20 ...

and Butterfly of

Digable Planets Digable Planets () is an American hip hop trio formed in 1987. The trio is composed of rappers Ishmael "Butterfly" Butler, Mariana "Ladybug Mecca" Vieira, and Craig "Doodlebug" Irving. The group is notable for their contributions to the subgenre ...

. The collaboration "I've Lost My Ignorance" was originally released as a 12" single in 1991, though the album version has a different beat. Continuing the

jazz rap Jazz rap (or jazz hip hop) is a fusion of jazz and hip hop music, as well as an alternative hip hop subgenre, that developed in the late 1980s and early 1990s. AllMusic writes that the genre "was an attempt to fuse African-American music of the ...

trend,

spoken word Spoken word refers to an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a late 20th century continuation of an ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetics of ...

is performed during the interludes.Dream Warriors :: Subliminal Simulation
RapReviews. Accessed on February 3, 2010. The first single, "Day in Day Out", showcased the newest MC, Spek. The second single was "California Dreamin'".

Reception

The album received generally mixed reviews from music critics. RapReviews.com gave it a 9/10 rating, stating "Dream Warriors successfully recreate the night-at-the-jazz-club feel championed by

The Roots The Roots are an American hip hop band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy F ...

and classic

Tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English language, English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in p ...

," also praising it as "A landmark in Canadian hip-hop and hell, hip-hop in general." ''

The Source ''The Source'' is an American hip hop and entertainment website, and a magazine that publishes annually or . It is the world's longest-running rap periodical, being founded as a newsletter in 1988 by Jonathan Shecter. David Mays was the ma ...

'' gave the album 3 out of 5 mics, calling it "a positive and ambitious LP."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

gave it 2 out of 5 stars, noting that "Dream Warriors' jazz-rap formula has run out of steam." Subliminal Simulation > OverviewAllmusic. Accessed on February 3, 2010. The album was nominated for Best Rap Recording at the 1995 Juno Awards.

Track listing

Samples

*"Are We There Yet" – Contains a sample of "Elevation" by

Pharoah Sanders Pharoah Sanders (born Ferrell Lee Sanders; October 13, 1940 – September 24, 2022) was an American jazz saxophonist. Known for his overblowing, harmonic, and multiphonic techniques on the saxophone, as well as his use of "sheets of sound", San ...

*"Day in Day Out" – Contains a sample of "All the Way Lover" by

Millie Jackson Mildred Virginia Jackson (born July 15, 1944) is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and Soul music, soul recording artist. Beginning her career in the early 1960s, three of Jackson's albums have been certified Music recording certification, gold ...

*"I've Lost My Ignorance" – Contains a sample of "Blackjack" by

Donald Byrd Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II (December 9, 1932 – February 4, 2013) was an American jazz and rhythm & blues trumpeter and vocalist. A sideman for many other jazz musicians of his generation, Byrd was one of the few hard bop m ...

and "Down By The River" by

Buddy Miles George Allen "Buddy" Miles Jr. (September 5, 1947February 26, 2008) was an American composer, drummer, guitarist, vocalist and producer. He was a founding member of the Electric Flag (1967), a member of Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys (1969–197 ...

*"California Dreamin'" – Contains samples of "Go on and Cry" by

Les McCann Leslie Coleman McCann (born September 23, 1935) is an American jazz pianist and vocalist.Feather, Leonard, and Ira Gitler (2007), ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz'', p. 448. Oxford University Press. Early life Les McCann was born in ...

and "

La Di Da Di "La Di Da Di" is a song performed by Doug E. Fresh, who provides the beatboxed instrumental, and MC Ricky D (later known as Slick Rick), who performs the vocals. It was originally released in 1985 as the B-side to " The Show". The song has since ...

" by

Doug E. Fresh Doug E. Fresh (born September 17, 1966) is a Barbados-born American rapper, record producer, and beatboxer, also known as the "Human Beat Box". The pioneer of 20th-century American beatboxing, Fresh is able to accurately imitate drum machines an ...

and

Slick Rick Richard Martin Lloyd Walters (born January 14, 1965), better known as Slick Rick, is an English-American rapper and record producer. He rose to prominence with Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crew in the mid-1980s. Their songs " The Show" and " ...

*"Break the Stereo" – Contains a sample of "Funky" by

The Chambers Brothers The Chambers Brothers are an American psychedelic soul band, best known for their eleven-minute 1967 psychedelic soul hit "Time Has Come Today". The group was part of the wave of new music that integrated American blues and gospel traditions wit ...

*"Tricycles and Kittens" – Contains samples of "Another Opus" by

Lem Winchester Lem Winchester (March 19, 1928 – January 13, 1961) was an American jazz vibraphone player. Early life Lemuel Winchester was born in Wilmington, Delaware. His parents were politician William J. Winchester and Alverta Winchester. Career Formerl ...

and "Zimba Ku" by

Black Heat Black Heat was a 1970s funk band founded by King Raymond Green and discovered by Phillip Guilbeau. Their albums include ''Black Heat (album), Black Heat'' (with guest artist David "Fathead" Newman), ''No Time to Burn, No Time To Burn'' and ''Keep o ...

Release history

Personnel

*Alfio Annibalini – Assistant Engineer *Beans – Producer *Tim Bran – Engineer, Mixing *

Derek Brin Derek Brin is a multi-platinum, award-winning music producer, sound designer, and mix engineer. Career Brin, whose father is from St. Thomas and mother is Trinidadian, was born in Toronto, but raised between Toronto and the US Virgin Islands. Befo ...

– Programming, Producer, Engineer, Mixing *Billy Bryans – Producer *Butterfly – Remixing, Assistant Producer *

Tom Coyne Tom Coyne may refer to: * Tom Coyne (writer), American writer and professor * Tom Coyne (broadcaster) (1930–2015), British television presenter * Tom Coyne (music engineer) (1954–2017), American mastering engineer * Thomas Coyne (cricketer) ( ...

– Mastering *DJ Premier – Producer, Mixing *Dream Warriors – Producer, Mixing *G-Spot – Engineer *Gang Starr – Vocals, Producer *Tom Garneau – Assistant Engineer *

Rupert Gayle Rupert Gayle is a Canadian songwriter. He has written for Warner/Chappel and BMG Music Publishing, and is signed to ole. Written and/or produced work *Maxi Priest *Mindless Behavior * Shiloh *Shawn Desman *Keshia Chanté *In-Dex *Lenou *Ja ...

– Executive Producer *Bruce Grant – Engineer, Mixing *Huge Voodoo – Producer *

Orin Isaacs Orin Isaacs is a television and film music composer/producer, best known as the musical director, bandleader and bassist on Mike Bullard's late-night talk shows ''Open Mike with Mike Bullard'' and ''The Mike Bullard Show''. Orin is also known as ...

– Bass, Engineer *Black Katt – Poetry, Producer *Dennis Kelly – Engineer, Mixing *NinetyNine – Poetry, Producer *Eddie Sancho – Engineer *Walter Sobczak – Producer, Engineer, Mixing *Max Vargas – Engineer *David Williams – Keyboards

References

{{Authority control 1994 albums Albums produced by DJ Premier Albums produced by Guru Dream Warriors albums EMI Records albums