"Dert is back. Kind of; Derty Dan's Cheap Thrills, his second release on [STREET CORNER MUSIC], and fourth record in as many years, has arrived. As with prior self-released albums Westside of The Moon and Eclipse, Dert sticks to one group for the source material that he then [flips], chops, and obliterates over the album's 16 tracks. This won't be around long. It's also Dert's last album he will be making," reads the Bandcamp listing for Derty Dan's Cheap Thrills. "Derty Dan" is the latest alias of West Covina-based Instrumental Hip-Hop producer Dert AKA Dert Floyd AKA DertBeats AKA Derty Dert AKA Don Baker. As with The Westside of The Moon, Eclipse, and Talk Strange: A Beat Tape Inspired By Björk, Dert sticks to just one single artist for the source material (a feat unto itself!) which can't exactly be revealed, but I could imagine, the avid Hip-Hop/Classic Rock listener could quickly decode the mystery of Derty Dan's source material. DertBeats' last release on STREET CORNER MUSIC was 2014's House Shoes/Street Corner Music Presents: The Gift Vol. 2, which was soon followed by a 45 entitled Flips Vol.2 with fellow beatsmiths Chanes and Juicy The Emissary.


Let's just say this, I honestly can't believe Dert's "Doin' It Again!" However, Derty Dan's Cheap Thrills is littered with subtle—and oftentimes, not so subtle—sonic cues and allusions to Dert's source material; just give the latter half of album closer "Gold Fronts II" a listen and I think you'll be able to figure it out, if you haven't yet already! Here's a hint: Dert samples the same artist throughout Derty Dan's Cheap Thrills as Kanye did on Graduation (2007) stand-out "Champions." Now, with a little Google-aided research and sleuthing of my own, I was able to find a Fat Beats listing for a Derty Dan's Cheap Thrills (LP), which provides a bit more insight into its creation; a zoomed in look at Derty Dan's Cheap Thrills' vinyl sleeve reveals a few interesting credits, such as: "PRODUCED BY DERT BEATS, GUITAR: RYAN TEANIO, TRUMPET: KRIS JOHNSON, VOCALS: JIMETTA ROSE, MASTERED BY: TENACITY, MODEL: PULP SUICIDE, DESIGN/PHOTO: DON BAKER." Derty Dan's Cheap Thrills is currently available for a limited time on House Shoes' imprint, STREET CORNER MUSIC digitally, as well as the aforementioned vinyl LP version from Fat Beats.