Low-Life | UK Hip Hop Story | DJ Vadim - Stereo Pictures Vol. 03 LP [mk2 Music / Jazz Fudge]

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DJ Vadim - Stereo Pictures Vol. 03 LP [mk2 Music / Jazz Fudge]

DJ Vadim has produced a somewhat left field mix CD as you might expect from him. It is not really a showcase of tremendous DJ skills, rather more a nice blend of tunes and some interesting vocal snippets from obscure things like exercise videos and the like. It is mostly a down tempo affair and somewhat abstract in places and is suitable for a come-down, or as I have been doing, listening to on a Monday morning.

The CD's intro opens with some preacher preaching and orchestral sweeps followed by plodding piano notes which give way to Roty340 for the first of the interesting foreign tracks that otherwise I would probably never have checked out. The selection of tracks which includes unexpected niceness from the Super Furry Animals in the instrumental form of Touch Sensitive, features a large selection of acts that Vadim has worked with including: Dark Circle, Pelding, and a few of DJ Vadim's own tracks for good measure. Jazz Fudge artists get a big look in and if one can't use a mix CD like this to further the interests of your connections when can you?

Blu Rum follow with the minimalist spoken word narrated Did You which joins nicely with That's Cool by Dark Circle, but it is Colonise Nation which features Skinnyman where the heat is really turned up for the first time with regard to lyrical skills.

Solo Los Solos drop some of the best tracks on here, the best being Quimera, with Saliva being more of a percussion break. Although they rap in Spanish and I can't get what they are saying, they still come over real well. Some abstract sounds are delivered by jazz flavoured DJ Food and for real surrealism to who else would you turn, but Manchester's Mr Scruff who gets real mental for Shanty Town which has all sorts of sea shanties in there and tales about whales and the like.

Before there is a short Drum & Bass bit with mellow tracks from Roni Size & Bahamada's New Forms and Photek's Ni Ten Ichi, DJ Vadim drops the exquisite groove of 4 Hero ft. Jill Scott. Soon after tracks by Dark Circle, Vadim and the Isolationist effortlessly flow into one another and on a similar vibe the CD rounds off with Prefuse 73, Killa Kela and the Gotan Project. The final track and 23rd track of this 75 minute journey through the obscure and eclectic is the sublime Edie Brikel by Vadim ft. Slug.

As I mentioned this is not a showcase of DJ skills although Vadim does drop some scratches his additions are the vocal drops and some fiddling with the EQ. I found that in places the volume was uneven and whilst some of the EQ effect could go down in a club, on this CD they just detracted from the music. I felt that some of the distortion and ugly sounds that were added could have been a bit more nicified. What I mean is that when I first played this on my system and pumped it up I did worry in places if my speakers were cracking up. The final effect which I did not feel was a rhythmic transform applied to Prefuse 73's Nuno, the problem I have with this is that it wasn't funky or skilful enough to add anything to the mix and worse still I felt the switch or effect used was a bit clicky.

Overall a great CD which isn't your usual commercial bangers. There is much on an airy, floaty vibe and so this should find a niche in everyone's collection. Check it out.
Edie Brikell review
The Art Of Listening review
DJ Vadim Profile

Visit DJ Vadim on the web: www.djvadim.com
Visit Jazz Fudge on the web: www.jazzfudge.com :: www.mk2music.com