Customer Reviews

Zen

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

 

 

When his previous LP came out, his first under the label of Sony, I was worried about Krush's potential loss of his musical integrity. On the contrary, he made an album so minimal, even his long lasting funs were surprised. I didnt particularly got hooked to this LP but I respected Krush for doing what he really wanted despite the pressure by his new financiers. That was then. NOW?

I think that ZEN is the outcome of him breaking the mold in the previous one. Krush is more mature now and he has made an exceptional album that will satisfy everyone. Hardcore hip hop funs, trip hop nodders, average mom and pap, in-love girls, trendy company CEOs, old time hippies, etc. It is the epitomy of a commercial album but without any of the negative conotations this definition might bring to mind. It incorporates soul, ambient, techno and industrial elements, mixed with the usual Japanese ultra minimalism, all together but also on their own. In Zen you can find maybe the most sentimental instrumental track in many years, a marriage between scattered guitar strings and saxophone, while the 3rd track is soulful trip hop at its best. Listen to the track no 7 and realise that Japanese raping can be as smooth as velvet, on a heavenly piano melody. Relax and enjoy, albums like this one dont come out too often.

Nippon trip-hop but not only. A real synphonia of music : sweet (Song 1, Sonic Traveler, With Grace) psychedelic (Endless Railway, Paradise Bird Theory) and the rest between the rap, funk, jazz. There is also a bonus track (the total songs are 13 and not 12) probably the less nice.
D.J. Krush made a big risk with a miscellaneus of sounds (infact people could be disoriented by the changes from a track to another) but the final result is perfect.
It's not a Cd to play single track, one you put on you have to finish it, it's like a classic synphonia!
Only with all songs togheter you can undrstand the total CD.
You can love it, dosen't mind with kind of music you are coming from...for sure you will love it..it's so sweet, so dark, so trip, so smart,..........so ZEN

The 5-star rating might be a little generous, but it's meant to reflect how worthy of purchase I think this CD is overall. I favor the more subdued, relaxing tunes. Some justifiably consider this release to be a bit inconsistent, but I also appreciate its diversity. Whatever you want to label this music - downtempo, acid jazz, hip hop - I don't think it fits easily into any particular category.

DJ Krush is especially effective at creating minimal soundscapes with subtle sophistication. Overall, this CD is laid-back and quite groove-worthy.

A few highlights (some impressions):

"Song 1" - very relaxing, kick-back hip-hop groove, very minimal with jazzy textures including a sweet trumpet.

"Zen Approach" - easy hip-hop funk beat with Black Thought from The Roots in full effect and shimmering background synths. Off the hook, baby!

"Danger of Love" - I'm a big Zap Mama fan and Marie Daulne (who IS Zap Mama) sings exquisitely on this smooth, catchy track. She also contributes some amazingly acrobatic vocals in the background, one of her most notable gifts.

"Sonic Traveler" - Starts off with background noises from a train station combined with subtle African rhythms and instruments before it launches off with a hyperkinetic drum machine. Actually employs bouncing ping pong balls as musical instruments - a fascinating instrumental!

"Vision of Art" - an ominous tone pervades over this spare track featuring an intense, ballsy rap performance.

"Day's End" - another very relaxing instrumental, similar to "Song 1" with a more "end-of-a-quiet-day" feel to it. Features more trumpet, a seductive acoustic guitar and that African instrument that I think is called a kora (?).

"Candle Chant (a Tribute)" - an amazing song, absolutely mesmerizing. Features a bizarre (to my ears) rap in an Asian language (that I assume is Japanese) and a hypnotic, crystalline acoustic guitar.

"Paradise Bird Theory" - has a very mysterious, dark and sensuous trip-hop sound.

Highly recommended, especially for chilling out.

dj krush is as much of a visionary as many people say. in my opinion, krush is a true artist who has a strong vision that spans his releases. they all hold their own as powerful hip hop journeys through beats, haunting melodies, jazz loops, phat raps, impeccable cuts, thorough, thick mixes, and loving, bass-y beats. this new one is unlike anything i have heard from dj krush. i own all of his stuff and i can't say which is best but Zen seems to be the most diverse out of all of them. here, krush covers all the bases: pure trip hop, haunting jazz, r+b, rap, and krush's influence that pulses throughout. the dark, moody beats and the chilled out basslines mixed with sometimes spooky, sometimes upbeat vocals and other melodic elements.
now that i've analyzed it, i'd like to put my stamp of approval on this work of art. the cd as a whole stands very well. it always impresses me when an artist can bridge smoothly between potentially different concepts. truly, another 5-star krush home run.

First of all, let me say that I think Krush has a subtle sense of sonic possibilities that most folks just miss. If you expect "banging beats" or DJ Shadow, look elsewhere. For those of us on the low end, who also dig Bill Laswell, or DJ Food, or DJ Cheb i Sabbah or Imhotep or DJ Cam (at his best)... you know what I mean.

DJ Krush brings a spectrum of sound with his distinct mark hanging above like a moonlit night. Black Thought does a nice track (better than the Hardware track on his solo). The Zap Mama track is wonderful! Likewise, I really love the N'Dea Davenport and Kukoo Da tracks. There are countless gems on here, although it's the complete journey that captures Krush's genius.

Krush doesn't produce banging singles. He explores territory, and for those who have been following him, I highly suggest finding this LP as soon as you can... and putting it on repeat.

I rate it 4 stars, only because it takes a Kind of Blue to get 5.

In a genre otherwise known as "Abstract" hip-hop, the music of "Zen" has more to do with
Fusion-Jazz and psychedelia, than with formulaic Rap. This allows veteran Japanese DJ Krush to explore new territories without creative restraints, proving that Hip-hop is still an ongoing
experiment, a global phenomenon with a 3 decade history. Where the needle scratches and the
beat stomps through the woofers, the vocals of Zap Mama, N'Dea Davenport (Brand New Heavies) and Sunja Lee soar, while rappers Boss the MC and Black Thought (the Roots) apply
rhythm, reason and rhyme. For all is trademark "Krush" sound, Zen manages to surprise and
elevate a whole genre to new grounds.

Although DJ Krush's "Zen" is far ahead of its own time, there is a palpable sense of nostalgia and iconography within the confines of this amazing album. The opening track, simply entitled "Song", is a gorgeously lush combination of subdued hip-hop beats and traditional Asian musicianship, reminding listeners of Krush's own roots dug into Japan. Which is why this album works as a whole. The slight reminders of what came before are knots in the music, they hold it together, giving us a myriad of hypnotic vocals (including N'Dea Davenport, Zap Mama and Black Thought, among others) and tripnotic beats, yet all having something in common. In all, this album is one worth meditating to, whether your eyes are open or not.

I picked up this album expecting to be taken on a musical journey and I was. KRUSH did not dissapoint me at all, if anything he opened my eyes up to other genres and spirtiual movements of music. He has so much to offer as a producer and the way he works with the singer or rapper is just phenominal. My favorite tracks on the album if I had to single out would be track 2 Zen Approach with Black thought, Sonic Travler with Tunde Ayanyemi, With Grace featuring N'dea Davenport and Endless Railway with ?uestlove. This album is simply off the hook and has everything for every music lover.

Having immensely enjoyed 1999's largely instrumental "Kakusei" album, Dj Krush must have been listening when I was wondering what his music would sound like with vocal collaborations, as this album (bar 1 or 2 tracks), features vocalists throughout. Krush shows why he's the master of the minimalist ambient Breakbeat, because whether it's `Jazz' ("With Grace" / with N'Dea Davenport), Ambient Psychedelia ("Duck Chase" / With DJ Disk), Leftfield Hip-Hop ("Vision of Art" / With Company Flow"), or Downbeat Soul/R&B (Danger of Love / With Zap Mama)....it's all so expertly sequenced, arranged & produced, that its feels as if he's always traded in these genres of music, with Krush laying down dense atmospheric breaks that encompass...Moody, brooding, Nocturnal, Chilled grooves, and come together so sublimely, that he's effectively the `Dj Shadow' of the Ambient Breaks scene.

I am from San Diego and i love the music they call reggae. I don't usually listen to other music, but this cd by dj krush just has me freakin hooked. I don't know how many times I have listened to Days End back to back, but it has got to be somewhere in the hundreds. You don't hear to many soulful trupets being played these days but Kazufumi Kodama manages to play the best trumpet I have heard in a long time. Black Thought is extraordinary on this album. The beat that Krush has going while Thought is laying it down could not have been any beeter. I have never heard of Zap Mama before but after hearing her song on here I might have to give her music a try. This is an awesome cd that I recommend to everyone.