Customer Reviews

Kaleidoscope

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

What i was going to say was already said, almost exactly, by someone else here. The best way to describe this cd is film noir music, if you know what that is. A reviewer by the name of Alicatsf (i think) said precisely what I was going to say. The twenties-thirties jazz feel to the gives a very definite spy-music feel. The first third or so is mostly typical dj beats, with some big band samples laid over top to create a new style of dj music. The rest is film noir music, exactly. Imagine black and white movies, stark contrast, police detectives in big coats looking grimly at bodies as cigarette smoke wafts up around their heads. Then put music behind that scene, and that music is this cd.

On to the tracks themselves. Full Bleed is a dj rocker, cool song. Cookin' is one of my favorites. Behind the beats, some guy pops up: "who's cut?" A barrage of scratching follows, then another guy: "you can cut." scritchy-scritchy-scratch. "my cut." more scratching. I just frikkin love that. Break is, as everyone probably said, a pieced together narration of a pool game. A very interesting piece, very original, kind of fun. I like the lyrics. They run together very well, the kind of predictably unpredictable rapping that turns up on so many dj discs. The Riff marks the beginning of the twenties-thirties vibe that follows through the disc. The tune is a fast-paced swing groove with samples of an interview with a jazz musician, or some such. "I'm straight, but you don't look so good..." The Ageing Young Rebel is one of my favorites, with an odd prose/poetry story told in the dark, resonant voice of Ken Nordine, laid over a sly walking baseline and riding hi-hat. Very cool. After that, the disc goes almost ambient, with laid-back, film noir grooves that really chill you out with well-written chord progressions and harmonies.

That's all I have to say, I think. If you're looking for stuff like Mr. Quickie Cuts the Cheese and Brass Neck, the more funky dj food tunes, this isn't it. You might like it though, I sure did.

if there were a different medium for this release to be sold as, i'd have it be a play. the album wasn't composed with this in mind, but the final product plays like some sort of strange musical. you'd think that all the songs were composed by different people, because of all the musical ground that it covers. while remaining generally jazz, it bounces all over the place. kind of like this review. the first few songs are standalone masterpieces of sonic genius. the rest of the album is a chilled out dub jazz soundscape, that you don't want to be released from when it finally ends. pick this one up, and have some fun listening.

This is yet another Ninja Tune artist that I've checked out for the heck of it. It's well worth your money to get this disc. Sure, "Full Bleed" might not grab your attention immediately, but "Cookin'" will. And while "Break" and "The Riff" are slight head-nodders, "The Ageing Young Rebel" slows it down while featuring Ken Nordine's cool poetry. However, from "The Crow..." on, you're going on a journey to a world you've only dreamed of. It should hit you by the end of "Nocturne (Sleep Dyad 1)" that reality isn't what it seems. Only Amon Tobin and Boards Of Canada manage to do it this excellently already. Add DJ Food to the list of "Artists who defy reality and take you to another world."

This album creates a beautiful soundscape, especially starting with Ageing Young Rebel (track 5). This track has a mysterious film-noir feel, coupled with a 1950's beat sensibility. It's sly and clever, and talks about how as we live our lives out, we lose touch with ourselves and just get 'normalized' by the society we live in. After track 5, the album delves more deeply into a kind of classical feel. It's very moody, velvety, and puts you into a kind of trance. Overall, this is just an excellent album!

DJ Food steps out of the shadow of Coldcut and releases Kaleidoscope, which, true to its title, is a multifaceted refraction of beats and samples, all spinning and melding into beautiful patterns. And even though the back liner notes emphasize that "this album contains no skills," there's still something skillful about the scratching in "Cookin'" or the layering of frantic woodwinds and string on "The Riff." The neo-beat-spoken-word-poetry on "The Ageing Young Rebel" demonstrates how free-thinking the DJ Food guys are: it's a fun track, one that makes you snap your fingers and pull a beret low on your brow. The "Sleep Dyad" (made up of the tracks "Nocturne" and "Nevermore") lull you into a state of relaxation until "Nevermore" busts out the percussion. "The Sky at Night" and "You" tends more towards the ambient. "Minitoka" doesn't sound far removed from Japan at all; its melodies are as delicate as cherry blossoms. Certainly a diverse and interesting album.

this is the first album ive picked up from food and i was impressed. i felt the whole album from beginning to end but i couldnt help also feel that he was holdin back quite a bit. however, it is a good buy worthy of your dollars in my opinion. its still original and unique and thats the reason i listen to and love music. thank you. enjoy

This is one of my favourite albums at the moment, quite possibly THE favourite. It's responsible for changing my outlook on music.

I've always preferred electronic music to the "ordinary" variety, and until recently I was dead-set against buying anything that smacked of jazz. Elements of jazz were acceptable though, which is why I was willing to take a chance with Kaleidoscope.

As you may have guessed, I was shocked to find out that the album is heavy on jazz influence; indeed you have to listen carefully to some of the tracks to discern where the mixing comes into play. My reaction to this was very negative at first. But slowly, my attitude began to shift. I discovered that Kaleidoscope isn't that dreadful light jazz popular with baby-boomers. It's noir, and it's keenly self-aware. Exactly what I like in pure electronica.

I'm now a full convert to DJ Food's brand of fusion. I'd list the outstanding tunes on the CD, but the album is so superb as a whole that I'd be doing it injustice by holding up some tracks and dismissing others. Suffice it to say that I'll remember "The Crow" and "The Sky At Night" for years to come.