I was listening to Paul's Boutique today. Did you know that the music behind Paul's Boutique was composed by the Dust Brothers? They were playing it for the Beasties and the Beasties said they wanted to rap over it. The product of that collaboration is musical genius level shit.

"The album was produced by the Beastie Boys in collaboration with the Dust Brothers, a Los Angeles-based production duo consisting of John King and Mike Simpson.

The Dust Brothers were instrumental in shaping the album's sound, creating intricate, multi-layered instrumental backings from a vast collage of samples drawn from funk, soul, rock, jazz, and other genres.

Their innovative approach to sampling, which involved combining hundreds of musical fragments into dense yet cohesive tracks, helped redefine the possibilities of record production.

The Dust Brothers had originally intended to release these instrumentals as a standalone album, but the Beastie Boys were captivated by the tracks and decided to add their own rapping, transforming the project into Paul's Boutique.

The album features extensive sampling, with estimates ranging from 105 records used across the entire album, including 24 individual samples on a single track.

The production process involved recording at multiple studios, including Mario C's and the Record Plant in Los Angeles, as well as Matt Dike's apartment in Koreatown.

The Beastie Boys contributed vocals and occasional guitar riffs, but the album's sonic identity is largely defined by the Dust Brothers' sampling artistry.

Despite a lackluster initial commercial reception—peaking at number 24 on the U.S. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart—the album gained legendary status over time, praised for its creativity, humor, and musical depth.

It has been described as the "Sgt. Pepper of hip-hop" and a foundational influence on subsequent generations of producers and artists, including Beck, The Avalanches, and The Chemical Brothers.

The Dust Brothers' work on Paul's Boutique established them as pioneers of sampling, earning them the nickname "Godfathers of sampling".

Their success with the album led to high-profile collaborations with artists such as Beck (on Odelay), the Rolling Stones, Santana, and Linkin Park.

The album's legacy endures, with its innovative use of samples and production techniques remaining a benchmark in music history."

AND they played their own instruments. HTH.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5799629&forum_id=2/#49442916)