Kaleidoscope

DJ Food | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 4, 2000)
• Original Release Date: April 4, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Ninja Tune
• ASIN: B000003S85
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #112,031 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #33 in Music > Indie Music > Dance & DJ > IDM

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply put..., September 14, 2001

By 

John Uhles III (Denver, CO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kaleidoscope (Audio CD)

Kaleidoscope is a masterpiece. It's one of those classics that will never, and won't ever, outdate itself.
Much different than previous works by DJ Food, probably because the Coldcut duo didn't collaborate on this one. The past releases were all excellent productions. But I have to hand it to More and Black for stepping out of this one. PC and Strictly Kev, previous Food collaborators, created this one by themselves.
Nice job guys.
One of Ninja Tune's best in my opinion.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great album from Dj Food, August 15, 2000

By 

Angus MacAskill (Nova Scotia, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kaleidoscope (Audio CD)

Er, this is a tough one to review, but here goes:

    Kaleidoscope starts off strong, with Full Bleed, which has a really big sound, and goes from ominous to very jazzy. The jazzy feel continues into Cookin', which ambles along, and reminds me of Coldcut when DJF starts stratchin' it up a bit :). When I say 'jazzy', I don't mean laid back or anything like that, I mean with a trebly, fast jazz beat with lots of hihats. I can't think of any other word to describe it.
    "Break" is a staccato, cut-up track, as DJ Food has some fun with a narration of somebody's pool game. This is perhaps the weakest track on the CD, but not bad. Again, fans of Coldcut might like this.
    "The Riff" is a fast-paced tune, balanced between a sinister baseline and fun brass, and sounds like it should be playing during a car chase in a detective movie. I'd say it has sort of a big-band style, and (along with Full Bleed) is similiar to what I've heard by Amon Tobin.
    Chicago radio guy Ken Nordine joins DJF for vocals on The Ageing Young Rebel. His voice is quite fun to listen to, and has a low and harsh, but smooth, with a sound that suits the lyrics well. Ken's vocals are the main point of the song, but the rest is good too.
    Starting with "The Crow", the CD starts getting slower, more dramatic, and often have an ominous feeling. The Crow is a good example of this, with a low sound (double bass?), that DJF mixes up enough to remind that he's still a DJ, and then gradually works in half an orchestra. This is a nice track.
    "Nocture (Sleep Dyad 1)" has the neat loop that plays on the DJF website as the focus of the song, but in my opinion, time is wasted working up to it, only to have it disappear halfway through, and need 'working up to' again. However, this track is still ok.
    "Nevermore" begins with a spooky sound, and maybe wouldn't feel out of place in a horror film. (Wait, not one of those stupid 'Scream' clones, I mean, something really suspenseful here). DJF adds a beat that suddenly turns fast and intense, not to mention a brass section, but the spookiness returns for the ending (which is somewhat of a cliffhanger).
    "The Sky at Night" is dramatic, with a mystic sort of feel. It's quiet, and could almost put you to sleep, a really nice track.
    "...You" is a slow song, with somebody playing a relaxing tune on the vibes, and a slow, held back, sorta beat and some very nice vocals. This one /will/ put you to sleep, but it's not boring. One of my favourite tracks.
    Ah, Minitoka. This one is light, with some harp and flute stuff, slow latin beat, and a very nice, warm, string section. About 3 minutes in, it sounds like it's winding down, but DJF changes the tune, while keeping the feeling of the song. All 9 minutes and 24 seconds are perfect, and show off DJF's musical sense and talent. It's awesome.
    The last track, "Reprise (A splash of debussy)" is a little 1:00 string tune, that sounds nice, but being so short, doesn't have time for much.
Phew, well, anyway, this disc is another great thing from the halls of Ninja Tune (a label I highly recommend, BTW). If you like other NT artists, or if you just enjoy really excellent music, you have to pick this up. There's no other word for it but beautiful.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars From the people in Coldcut comes a sonic extravaganza..., May 21, 2000

By 

stewart (Issicks) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kaleidoscope (Audio CD)

DJ Food is a collaboration between the founders of the down-tempo groovers Coldcut and this definately marks a change in their musical evolution. Whilst Coldcut's music is Jazzy and uptempo, 'Kaleidoscope' represents a distinctly more dramatic and experimental turn. The main style of the album is that of an aural landscape which succeeds in letting the imagination soar amongst the synths and whispered beats of the album. The only tracks which differ from this style are 'aging young rebel' which sounds like something a stoned Morricone would write, and is no less good for that, and Nocturne which is a fantastic tune, rising xylophone beats and breaks. If you want challenging original and provocative music then buy this, it's definately worth your while.