Customer Reviews

DJ-Kicks

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Erlende Oye's "Kicks" album is the most enjoyable of the bunch I've heard so far (including Thievery Corporation, DJ Cam, Kruder&Dorfmeister, and Kid Loco). Just for sheer feeling, this one tops the bunch as EO provides his vocals for many of the cuts on his own mix. With that said, if you can't stand his vocal style, which I describe as a sleepy, yawny, monotone, then chances are, you'd hate this album. Otherwise, his refreshing, understated singing,combined with the melodic, loungy beats will keep you wanting more. While his solid mixing skill isn't on par with the best of the best (which is no slight to EO), then you'd at least be impressed with his selection, which showcases a smorgasbord of self-sung covers and "pop secrets" that he takes and almost makes his own. Besides, EO's main concern with this album seems to be putting together something cohesive and sonically-pleasing, which he accomplishes pretty well. This album would be great at setting a cool mood and vibe at a chill, dim lounge as opposed to an all-out dance fest. So if you're like me, and like to get a nice groove on as opposed to busting moves, this one's for you.

I personally don't like repetitive boom*tch-boom*tch-boom*tch type of music that goes on for 10 minutes, erlende oye does a great job of selecting songs that are catchy but doesn't get played out easily. Maybe I'm biased too, i like kings of convenience and royksopp, but this album is very upbeat, funky, yet diverse (Phoenix, Avenue D). There's no categorizing it, electro, house, pop, it's just good catchy beats.

Although I'm not their biggest fan, I do enjoy the work that I've heard by Kings Of Convenience and enjoyed their Versus disc in which they were remixed by a variety of excellent artists. Although I didn't care much for Erlend Oye's first solo album (found it a bit bland), I have to admit that I'm completely won over by this DJ Kicks mix compiled by him. Another in the line of outstanding mixes (the Kruder And Dorfmeister and Andrea Parker efforts are definitely worth having as well), Oye puts his personal stamp on the mix by not only picking out the tracks but actually singing karaoke style over several of them. It sounds cheesy as hell, but it works quite well.

After opening with some German dancefloor by Jürgen Paape, the disc moves into its first such combination as Oye not only drops a remix of one of his own tracks ("Sheltered Life"), but sings vocals from an Opus 3 track over the top. He pops back in at the beginning of "If I Ever Feel Better" by Phoenix and when it makes the transition to the actual band vocals it's flawless. That last reason is really the way that the mix pulls it off. Although Oye changes melodies to fit the tracks that he's singing along with, he has a knack for blending vocals in alongside tracks that you wouldn't think of putting together.

Two examples stand out on the disc in particular. Over the Silikon Soul remix of "Poor Leno" by Röyksopp, Oye sings vocals to the excellent (and much-covered) "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" and it fits like a charm (especially when his own vocals from the original track softly breath in at the end). Even stranger is Oye singing "Always On My Mind" (Willie Nelson!) over the dancefloor grinder "Skateboard" by Metal Chix. In addition to his unique vocal coups, Oye includes some downright awesome tracks on the disc as well, including the fluttering electronics of "Winning A Battle, Losing The War" by Minizza, the banging minimal dancefloor of "Airraid" by Jackmate and the obscuro and hilarious "Radio Jolly" by Jolly Music. All in all, this is a fun electro-dance release that is 55 minutes well spent. Heck, you'll probably even find yourself singing along with Oye after awhile.

(from almost cool music reviews)

Finally a remix compilation that is suitable for people who don't really love dance music. I became aware of Erland Oye after falling in love with Royksopp's CD on which he did vocals for several tracks. The CD has a very retro 80's early 90's club sound to it. Many of the tracks feature the DJ singing over the songs which actually works quite well. The songs Drop and If I Ever Feel Better are worth the price of the CD alone. Also notable is a hilarious song 2D2F which has to be heard to be believed. Many of the tracks on here are derivative but overall the CD is just a lot of fun to play at a party. I can't recommend it enough to fans of 80's synthpop and modern chilled out lounge pop.

Erlend Oye's take on DJ-ing, like Miss Kittin's, is either something you're going to enjoy immediately or find annoying - so it's a good idea to check out the clips provided above. Personally, I like his voice and was sold on the collection by the time I finished listening to "Sheltered Life/Fine Day" (track 2). Although I think some of the praise for this CD may be a tad gushing (i.e., Pitchfork), I can understand why some are so enthusiastic about it. The tracks themselves are very good and Oye deserves credit for taking a chance and overdubbing his own vocals over many of them. In terms of track selection, it is pretty strong across-the-board, with stand-outs being the previously mentioned "Sheltered Life/Fine Day", "Rubicon", "Poor Leno" and "Dexter".

The only track I actively dislike is "2D2F", a rap ditty in the vein of "Hey Mami" by Fannypack (on Ladytron's "Softcore Jukebox") except not even a tenth as good. Beyond that, it simply doesn't make any sense, regardless of how good the track is, to put it on this particular album (similar to throwing in a Public Enemy or Mos Def track on a Kruder and Dorfmeister mix - both PE and Mos Def are great - but not in that context). Anyway, I've programmed it out and haven't missed it.

About the vocals: at no point in the CD have I found them annoying or grating. The lyrics he chooses are sometimes inspired (most notably "There is a Light that Never Goes Out" by the Smiths, as mentioned by others) and at worst tolerable ("Venus"). Overall, I find his voice soothing - it doesn't overpower the music and there isn't a hint of pretentiousness - as some may find with Miss Kittin's Radio Caroline.

I would recommend reading reviews at both AMG and Pitchfork before making your decision, as neither review really nails it (AMG is too low/Pitchfork too high) but between the two of them you get a very accurate idea of what to expect. If you simply cannot abide the vocals but are still interested in trying something in the DJ Kicks series, I would suggest Kruder and Dorfmeister's contribution. For those wanting a more recent release, Fila Brazillia's "Another Fine Mess" is fantastic, though many of the mainstream reviewers seem to have missed it.

Since I bought this album last October on a whim (and good word), I quickly grew addicted to the entire DJ Kicks series, but especially this album. Erlend Oye's mix is quite certainly the best I have listened to out of the 11 editions I have so far, maybe only because I've had it the longest. Either way, from my experience, it is one of the most unique and fun ones, in the way Oye seamlessly blends in his own voice and strange vocal interpolations over established techno songs.
The contrast of the Smiths' "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" over Royksopp's "Poor Leno", and Willie Nelson's "Always On My Mind" over Skateboard's "Metal Chix", all sung by Erlend's pleasant but quirky voice, are strokes of minor genius. The entire album, as a result, feels more like a personalized mixtape from Erlend than the top-shelf electronic mixes that DJ Kicks is well known for. There is a rustic and personal charm about this album, but most importantly it is still banging! The variety on this album allows it to be a perfect waking-up album, dancing in the clubs album, relaxing at the beach album, and driving home late at night album. Something for all, and all within a too-short 55 minutes...Best DJ Kicks album I have heard so far.

Erlend Øye isn't your typical Musician/Producer, he lacks that instant cool appeal in the usual music circles, with his bespectacled, almost nerdy look. He looks like he'd be more at home working in I.T. than producing music. But (thankfully) music isn't (always) about having a great look. Erlend...who makes up one half indie pop/folktronica duo "Kings of Convenience". What Erlend does so well, is sing delicate and wistfully lyrics over downtempo or subtly nuanced electronic tracks, and somehow blend together harmony and an ear for catchy melancholic hooks, that usually lean heavily towards acoustically arranged music. And with this is mind, you'd think that he'd be an odd choice to compile a DJ Kicks dance mix, usually associated with artists in the electronic / Dance field....and you'd be right, and that's not even taking into account, Erlend's singing.....

Now before your initial reaction is to dismiss this as a weak / Novelty record, stay with me on this, because although Erlend may not be recognised as a dance musician/Producer, he does have a background in electronic music, with his own solo album perfectly mining indie Electronic field, so he isn't completely unsuited to releasing a mix album. And what separates Erlend's effort from other albums in the series, is a distinctly mash-up-like approach to compiling genres and styles. In fact the approach is probably a little closer to something like "2 Many Dj's" than other artists in the series, and it's a veritable selection of styles & genres that are intergratred here, fusing: Electro, House, Indie Pop, Electroclash, minimal Techno, Microhouse, electronica, New Wave, etc. It's an eclectic mix for sure, and impressively its one that doesn't lose the flow of the mix, because all genres are frequently swapped around and played with, but the quirky and off-beat mood still prevails throughout. The carefree Japanese Pop of "Cornelius" shares disk space with energetic Punk-Funk of "The Rapture", the cheeky catchy electro-pop of "Avenue D's - 2D2F" (*Too Drunk To F****), the world conquering electronica of "Röyksopp's - Poor Leno", the IDM/Techno of "Morgan Geist", and even the french house of "Phoenix's - If I Ever Feel Better".

It's all here, and great fun it is too, but one of the key selling points here is, (brace yourself) the fact that Erlend 'Sings' over a handful of tracks. Now in the wrong hands (or wrong vocalist) this could have proved to be absolutely disastrous, but such is a dulcet and melodically soothing tones of Erlend voice, it all actually works wonderfully. Erlend is intelligent enough to sing as an accompaniment to the music as opposed to becoming the centre-point and so his intimate vocals have a slightly 'top-tapping' quality that resonates perfectly with the tracks he sings over, that coupled with the broad range of tracks takes a form of a weird sort of distinctive dance eclecticism, that really has that 'Feel Good' factor that the best dance music can evoke. If the idea of a Norwegian singing softly over a modestly mixed (Erlend himself admits that he's not a particularly good mixer/Dj, and so a couple of song transitions occasional jarr slightly), but its a small point, for what (for me) has certainly been one of the 'Funnest' DJ Kicks albums I've listened to (I own around 12-13 editions). I put this on in the morning whilst getting ready for work, and I have to say that it really got me going. Upbeat enough to wake me up and get the blood flowing, but restrained & less booming enough, to not need to reach for the volume first thing in the morning. I have to say again how much I loved this album, and managed to leave me humming to myself, a while after the CD had finished. Some albums in the 'DJ Kicks' series can divide listeners (I'm naming no names), and others in the series seem to have universal appeal ("Kruder & Dorfmeister", "Kid Loco", "Thievery Corporation", "Tiga"), and although it's a little too early to say if this album shares such elevated company, but for either fans of Erlend work, or collectors of the DJ Kicks albums, or simply someone looking for something a little different in their dance music, simply must check this out.

This CD is the perfect background for having friends over. Healthy beats layed over mellow music for the most part. It sounds like a late night drive down a dark highway.

My wife and I treked around Europe to this album and everytime I listen to it I can close my eyes and put myself right back there. It has a lot of very melow good electronica and hip hop beats. The only song that is a little much is 2d2f. I don't mind it as much as the wife but go figure.

I highly recommend this album.

I love this album,it's a little more funky than Unrest,and has some really cool mixes. But I'm biased, because I love Kings of Convenience, and Erlend's solo stuff, it's all good!