Edan attended CU in late 2003-2005 majoring in production. The Rockville, Maryland native had already been experimenting with 4 and 8 track home recording using both live instruments (he is a drummer and bassist) and a truthfully Native Tongues inspired, sample based approach since 1986. He quickly advanced in skill throughout high school and college. Continuing on this path, Edan completed the officially unreleased album the end is forever on an 8-track digital cassette recorder in his dorm room while in his sophomore year. The only tracks to be released from this project appeared on his debut single in 1998. This sought after 12" contains the songs "The Es Have It featuring Eric Ferguson" and "Migraine," and was released by the now defunct Boston indie imprint Biscuithead Records. The single introduced Edan's slightly askew humor (sample lyric: The principal got nervous/When I ran into his office shirtless) and dusty production style to the world.
After leaving college in 2001, Edan began work on his official debut album, Primitive Plus eternity. The single for "godlove" which featured Boston MC Mr. Lif was released on Sun/Moon Records, after which Edan became the first artist signed to UK label Lewis-John Recordings, which released the single "Mic Manipulator." Around this time Edan began performing with several musicians from Berklee under the name Fiber. The band performed mainly in the Boston area, playing Edan's songs interspersed with long jazz improvisations during which he would scratch records and play with a delay pedal. The affiliation was short-lived, however, as Edan soon left to pursue solo ventures and Fiber began performing with MCs Bomshot and Professor Shuman. Primitive Plus was released in 2001 to critical acclaim. Edan handled all the production, rapping and turtablism on the album, with the exception of guest shots by Mr. Lif and Alaskan Fishermen member Father Time. In addition, production on one track, "Key-Bored," was done by Eli (aka Memory Man.) The experimental/throwback vibe of the album was also endowed with some of the '90s innovations in rhyming and scratching, which led to the album's title, explained on the title track as "primitive plus futuristic."
Edan then released a mixtape, Fast Rap. The seamless compilation of golden era burners by luminaries like Big Daddy Kane, Kool G Rap and lesser known mic rippers like Black, Rock & Ron was highly influential, sparking a renewed interest in "fast rap" and often influencing eBay auctions for the records used on the tape, much to the chagrin of hip-hop record collectors.
A non-LP track single, "Drop Some Smooth Lyrics," followed on Edan's own Humble Mag label, backed by the hilarious Kool Keith impression, "Ultra '88." In 2002 he released the wonderfully lo-fi Sprain Your Tape Deck EP, which featured some of the CD-only cuts from Primitive Plus and two new tracks. All of these songs had been recorded live in his home studio directly to an ordinary cassette deck after his 8-track finally broke. Deprived of the ability to overdub, all of the EP's scratching, mixing and effects were done live as Edan rapped to a sequencer and drum machine.
Edan then began producing other artists, providing remixes for Mr. Lif and Souls Of Mischief, and album cuts like Akrobatik's The Hand That Rocks The Cradle. Teaming up with fellow Boston MC/DJ/producer Insight in 2003, Edan began performing a much tighter live set. "Edan & Insight" (later billed as Duplex) often incorporate their DJ abilities into performances and display a level of showmanship that recalls the glory days of the Furious Five and the Cold Crush Brothers. Edan's "Johnny The Fox" routine involved rhyming with the mic in one hand while cutting up doubles of Thin Lizzy song's intro with the other, and can be seen performed in the independent film SBX.
Edan's first single from his follow up album was the aptly-titled "I See Colors," a psychedelic kaleidoscope of a light track featuring his own soaring Moog synth work over a loop which as he acknowledged in the lyric had been used before to great effect by Prince Paul. Edan deftly cuts between two versions of the sampled track in the song's chorus, heightening the dreamy quality. The lyrics concern psychedelic visions that can be attained without the use of drugs. The b-side, "The Science Of The Two," was the first recorded collaboration with Insight and featured some stunning production of its own. The single, released in early 2004, whetted fans appetites for what appeared to be a much more ambitious direction for his next album. Another mixtape, Sound Of The Funky Drummer, also appeared in 2004.
Beauty And The Beat, released in early 2005, is widely regarded as one of the best independent hip-hop albums of that year and was rated as such on many websites and in many publications. A psychedelic tour de force, the album finds Edan trying to "put Syd Barrett's face on Biz Markie's body" with "Kool G Rap's brain" and succeeding. The album features Mr. Lif, Insight, Percee-P and newcomer Dagha, and is again produced by Edan himself.
His most recent release, an audio-visual mega-mix, entitled ‘Echo Party Movie’, is an ambitious pastiche of dance, rapp, and punk that utilizes everything from turntables to tape echo, glockenspiel to guitar, and moog to kazoo. Once completed, the heady audio collage was then given to celluloid-splicer-extraordinaire, Tom Fitzgerald, who meticulously set the music to a wild array of found footage (sources ranging from Bollywood & martial arts films to subversive 60's animation, obscure new wave 8mm & vintage breakdance/graff footage).
Edan's previous effort, “Beauty And The Beat”, drew worldwide acclaim, most notably for its graceful marriage of hip-hop and rock-based psychedelia. Despite being off the beaten track musically, Edan tastefully/cautiously blends these influences into something new, with an emphasis on skills and originality. Keeping In line with said emphasis, the man is a world class deejay and emcee, taking it back to basics yet pushing forward at the same time… On stage, his repertoire includes cutting/looping up records such as Thin Lizzy’s ‘Johnny the Fox’ with one hand while holding the mic with the other and spitting his verse over it in good time, not to mention simultaneously stepping on a delay pedal for the sake of added texture…
Rock And Roll
Edan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The breath-taker, dragon slayer-slash-savior
Assassinator, flamethrower fascinator
My dagger blade cascade and catch the mayor
Captivator, spectator activator
Palladium's packed, they pay me in stacks of paper
Aggravated assault, halt the path of strangers
The strangler, long-ranger devil devastator
Levels is elevated to decibels of danger
Volts from the generator blow the detonator
Decimate the place and left the radius a crater
I cater to the greater entertainer
And blaze the remainder with the energy of anger
Celebrate the maker, I'll mutilate later
And play a naysayer like an amplified bass player
The Riders on the Storm enter with Doors open
To bring raw dosage in the form of swarm locust
Beatles and Byrds, they seem evil and absurd
Gather with The Eagles who swerve to form herds
Butterflies made of Iron ride the horizon
Giving Creedence to the Revival of Posiedon
Who feeds in the Clearwater, you fear slaughter
The Lovecraft author pens the horror for tomorrow
Zombies and walking dead stalk the Talking Heads
Insects with open legs halt with awful dread
All along the web, the thread remains red
With bloodshed that led to where the Little Feat fled
To lost places, thought lost for all ages
With Small Faces sittin' in walls of tall mazes
That overlook The 13th Floor with long gazes
Connected to the earthly core through Elevators
Check, the Underground is made of Velvet
Where butter-soft brothers talk tough on wax but ain't sell shit
Every cracker that rap ain't the Elvis
My Aqualung Cult-ivates the Blue Oyster shellfish
I design my Pearls Before Swine
And form rhymes to take you to a world before time
Where living things coexisted with Crimson Kings
Who on the Moon's Dark Side painted pretty things
That illustrated lessons conceived by The Mothers of Invention
Who also built a Stairway to Heaven
It's a present only to be stolen by a thief
The Judas Priest who unleashed his devil magic
My mental fabric, too thick for Lenny Kravitz
Who imitates Jimi Hendrix in every facet
Semi-automatic rap heavy metal jackets
Kill with mathematics then build on Black Sabbath
The song "Rock and Roll" by Edan is a commentary on the power and influence of rock music. Throughout the song, Edan uses vivid and occasionally surreal imagery to paint a picture of a world in which music has the ability to transcend barriers and connect people on a deeper level. He describes himself as a "headbanger with a double-edged razor", a "dragon slayer-slash-savior", and a "long-ranger devil devastator." These phrases convey a sense of intensity and passion, as well as a desire to seek out and conquer new frontiers.
Edan's lyrics also touch on the transformative power of rock music. He references seminal bands like The Doors, The Beatles, and Led Zeppelin, whose music helped define the genre and inspire countless musicians who came after them. He describes a world in which butterflies made of iron ride the horizon and crimson kings paint pretty things on the dark side of the moon. These surreal images suggest that music has the ability to transport us to new and unexplored realms of the imagination.
In summary, "Rock and Roll" by Edan is a celebration of the power and influence of rock music. Through vivid and occasionally surreal imagery, Edan builds a world in which music has the ability to transcend boundaries and connect people on a deeper level. His lyrics suggest that rock music is more than just a genre of music - it is a force that has the power to inspire, transform, and uplift.
Line by Line Meaning
I be the headbanger with the double-edged razor
I am fierce, ready to take on anyone and anything while standing out with my distinct personality, similar to a headbanger, who has his razor blade by his side always
The breath-taker, dragon slayer-slash-savior
I have the potential to amaze and destroy whatever comes in my way, like a skilled dragon slayer, but also able to be the hero whenever needed
Assassinator, flamethrower fascinator
My presence is captivating, tracing every step of mine, like an assassin always aware of his surroundings, being a fascinating persona with the ability to get things done
My dagger blade cascade and catch the mayor
My power and influence are widespread, like a cascading dagger blade, so much that even the mayor has become aware of it
Captivator, spectator activator
I have the ability to keep people's attention, like a captivator, and further their involvement, making them active spectators of my actions
Palladium's packed, they pay me in stacks of paper
I am highly in demand, such that my shows are always full with spectators who pay me generously in cash
Aggravated assault, halt the path of strangers
I have quite a temper, as I can quickly get angry and violent when strangers interfere in my path
The strangler, long-ranger devil devastator
I am feared, as I can choke the life out of anyone who comes in my path, cause destruction and terrorize those who oppose me
Educated rebel with the heavy metal flavor
I am highly knowledgeable, yet have my own beliefs and ideas about the world, similar to a rebel, with a unique, bold heavy metal style
Levels is elevated to decibels of danger
My music is so intense and powerful that it is dangerous, having the potential to cause physical and emotional harm to listeners
Volts from the generator blow the detonator
The electricity I generate has the potential to explode, like a detonator or a bomb that can cause massive destruction
Decimate the place and left the radius a crater
I have the power to destroy everything in a certain area so that it appears like a big crater has formed in the aftermath
I cater to the greater entertainer
I am not just an entertainer, but also catering to other entertainers who come to watch me perform
And blaze the remainder with the energy of anger
I have a lot of passion and intensity that goes into my performance, fueled by my anger and frustrations with the world around me
Celebrate the maker, I'll mutilate later
I can appreciate the creator but am not afraid to make changes and take things apart later for my own benefit
And play a naysayer like an amplified bass player
I am highly skilled at my craft, where I can easily turn an argumentative person into a supporter, much like a bass player who can amplify his music to great levels
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: EDAN PORTNOY, DWAYNE SIMMONS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@idiotdoomspiral666
where has this been my whole life? The album is a front to back masterpiece and the rerelease vinyl has been ordered!
@jimmyMNSTR_911
It came out in 2005.
Hopefully you were able to get the glow in the dark or the album picture vinyl.
Edan is a historically unrecognized legend, both as a MC and production wise.
@jazzyjaytee9961
what a testimony! Edan named a whole lot of groups, there. Thumbs up!
@Guerrilla56
We are the privileged. Much respect to the makers and the listeners alike.
@idiotdoomspiral666
chanced upon this due to the almighty all-knowing algorithm and I have to give those 1s and 0s there props because this is a bonafide masterpiece. Vinyl ordered, it’ll be getting a beating when it arrives
@knilib
This is brilliant. Pure & simple.
@ryand3736
From the eagles, Beatles, Jethro Tull and like 4 king crimson albums dude killed it.
@cloudparter
Absolutely amazing. Only 720 views are you fo' real? This is a masterpiece.
@Liquid_Wisdom
2018 yall
@jazzyjaytee9961
it's an anthem to a lot of great artists out there. Acknowledgment and praise to a whole lot of artists and groups.