The Extremities are Canadian producers Fresh Kils and Uncle Fester. They are long-time friends and collaborators and this album is the culmination of several years of work together. The project started when Fester worked at the CBC and had access to a ton of CBC jazz sessions that became source material for a hip hop project. Kils often describes a lot of his work as support staff, opting for a production style that lets the artist he’s working with shine, so he was excited to have a project with his good friend Fester to showcase their own talent. They released their first single, “Lost Souls” in 2009, but it took a little while for the album to cohere. Now that the finished project is out, I can tell you it is definitely worth the wait.

This album has a lot of contributors, but with the exception of producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad from A Tribe Called Quest co-producing two tracks, the musical direction is all Fester and Kils. They steer the ship with a steady hand, creating a musical journey that shifts tones and styles but is a complete experience from start to finish. When I interviewed Fresh Kils in March, he talked about how he and Fester tried to be as respectful to the source material as they could, and I think they did a great job of keeping the spirit of these old jazz recordings alive, yet translating them into the hip hop language, giving it all new life. It really speaks to their talents as producers and songwriters that they are able to walk this line so successfully.

Incorporating as many guest artists as they did is no easy task, but it all works well. There is a nice mix between Canadian artists like Ghettosocks, Moka Only, Timbuktu or Kit Knows and American artists like Ohmega Watts or El Da Sensei. “Dial Tones” is a funny song about how communication breaks down as it’s filtered through different sources. “New Season” and “Around the Corner” both feature easy rapport between two emcees, whether it’s the pairing of Ohmega Watts with Mola Only or Ambition and Relic. “Get Gone, Be Gone” is brings the energy up, with Timbuktu, El Da Sensei, Ghettosocks, Kam Moye, Roshin, and Rich Kidd passing the mic over a great beat with a cool accordion sample. Perhaps the biggest and most pleasant surprise comes at the end of the album, when former Canadian Idol winner Kaleb Simmonds lays down an incredible old-school soul song a la Al Green. He’s got a great voice and an exceptional feel for phrasing and singing within the grooves set down by Kils and Fester. It’s a nice change of pace, and it ends the album on a really warm note.

All that said, it’s the instrumental tracks that really make this album special. Fresh Kils prowess on the MPC is celebrated, but his keyboard playing is also exceptional. Uncle Fester also works in some tasteful scratches over the course of the album, really using his turntables as instruments. This is all great, but listening to a track like “Lost Souls,” and you’ll understand just how well Fester and Kils get the finer points of songwriting and arranging, building on motifs, layering instruments, using samples to give songs a little flair…it’s all there. The Mint Condition is a fantastic album from two producers who finally got their moment to shine.