Various Artists – Disc Jockey

In De DJ is Een Mietje the vox can sound like “the deejay is a meathead” even though it MEANS the deejay is a softypants. And on X-Static Tics’ Diejay Hardway Replay the deejay is accused of having a “complex”. Well I never.

In De DJ is Een Mietje the vox can sound like “the deejay is a meathead” even though it MEANS the deejay is a softypants. And on X-Static Tics’ Diejay Hardway Replay the deejay is accused of having a “complex”. Well I never.

 

http://escrec.bandcamp.com/album/disc-jockey

A superb record; massive and overwhelming and almost impossible to sit through in one go, but something you need to hear regardless. Brought out on the marvellous and ever giving ESC.REC, the conceit is as follows and a fine one it is too!

“For the Disc Jockey compilation, Esc.rec. invited a diverse selection of artists to deliver a track about DJ’s. Not for DJ’s, not by DJ’s, not even with DJ’s… just about DJ’s. The result is a kaleidoscopic impression of the world of the Disc Jockey as seen through the eyes of the featured artists.”

So in essence you get 17 (yes 17) tracks covering everything that could be construed as being essential or incidental to the world of deejays. Along the way you get LOTS of samples thrown in, as well as every permutation on vocals you could guess at; wobbly voices, voices put through blenders, dragged through hedges, made to sound as if they’re doing weird things to their windpipes, and all of it laid over beats; yes, that’s right, the currency of all disc jockeys, beats. As well as sounds. Yes, that’s right, sounds. Because of this catholic approach there’s plenty of piss taking, real or unintended; God maybe a “pleaser” (according to Wiemann’s highly trippy track on here, coming on all deejay Marcelle on our collective ass) but in De DJ is Een Mietje the vox can sound like “the deejay is a meathead” even though it MEANS the deejay is a softypants. And on X-Static Tics’ Diejay Hardway Replay the deejay is accused of having a “complex”. Well I never.  

At times things get so cut up you could forgive yourself for thinking that you’re somehow having a groundhog moment or have turned into a goldfish; just listen to Jonas’ incredibly tripped out Blackballed for proof. Or try Teleferick’s  A Lonely Stylus In The Canyon Of Grooves, which sounds, for all the world, like a coffin being dragged over a wooden floor. Oh, and beware Wiemann’s God is a Pleaser if you fancy your sanity. What’s that about??

There is just so MUCH on here. But just don’t expect any dance music, well, not for a while. The whole thing sounds like something off a Thighpaulsandra record or a dinosaur giving birth on a pressure cooker (I bring the jury’s attention to the first 5 minutes of Kris Kelvin’s 42-hb) or, if you’re Weerthof, a mix of the Dutch John Shuttleworth (that’s the mighty Frietboer to you lot) and some flashy Duran Duran-style samples.

This record just keeps on giving. For every gnomic masterpiece (Jeroen Diepenmat I’m looking at you here), there are things that sound like things that deejays would play, honest; tune into Raboud Mens’ minimal bleeping (1992 style) on Music For Cutting Up Vinyl and Kalima’s 1’s & 2’s (featuring Unannounced Guest) is a straightforward if trippy rap with the subject of… yup… Deejaying.  

In contention for record of 2014, it goes ALL the WAY.