Forgotten Treasure: The Arsonists “Fat Laces” (1999)

In terms of how I came across the track, this one’s a doozy.

Early Sunday morning, around 8. Wide awake in bed, just chillin’. I used to love to wake up to the radio in the morning back then. I’d look around for some good music on my sub par alarm radio before going to sleep and hope for some continued auditory niceness in the morning… The night before said morning had been an exception, though: I’d only been looking for news on the AM dial, eventually drifting off into slumber without even realizing it. So there I am, the following morning, listening to this community radio program where they’re just killin’ it with different kinds of music. I was already stoked, but then this jewel started playing…

Maaaaaaannnnn!… My eyes must’ve been wide open in surprise and disbelief because I only remember listening in complete, silent attention in the stillness of my room on a Sunday morning, all the while praying to the Powers that Be for the DJ to at least name drop that track, if nothing else… And he eventually did. Swag!

Not a lot I can say that will do this song justice except that they freestyled the shit. They goddamn freestyled it and managed to capture the vibe perfectly… “Fresh like slang from 1983”? I couldn’t agree more…

Off the “Defenders of the Underworld” compilation released in the early days of Battle Axe Records, an album with a serious lineup… Check it!

Arsonists - Fat Laces

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Oh, by the way, freshness-lacer (I’m an 80’s child, deal with it…) extraordinaire Elaquent put me up on this funny-as-hell video. Self-explanatory. I myself have occasional bouts of the syndrome which I cannot help but submit to… Whoop! (Starts cookin’…)

Investigating Swag Syndrome