Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
He's idiotic and yet I find him completely charming!, October 23, 2006
I first learned of the oddly-named Kid Koala (AKA Erin San) on a trip-hop site; the webmaster had put up two mp3s, with no other information. Needless to say, I was absolutely captivated by his music.
And now the renaissance DJ/turntablist returns in his third album, "Your Mom's Favorite DJ," which hits on all his strong points. Equal parts musician and DJ, he dabbles in driving rock'n'roll, distorted trad jazz, hip-hop, and a colourful splatter of samples. If my mom liked any DJs, she'd like this one.
It's hard to even describe the longish songs on here -- they don't even feel long, because they're crammed with as much sound as Koala can smush in there. Weird groaning noises, perky jazz, piano solos, distorted horns, electronic buildups, funny vocal samples, solid hip-hop beats, repetitive samples, and thunderous hard-rock riffs that explode from the belly of "Mosquito Vs. Water Buffalo." And, of course, turntabling.
In other words, it's totally unpredictable -- Koala's music will completely change from one moment to the next, and he can pull new tricks and sounds out of his pocket. And sometimes they are based on things that aren't musical at all, like a song referencing his book "Nufonia Must Fall."
As much fun as it is, much of this album's pleasure comes from how devastatingly creative it is. Koala can take virtually any sound, no matter how odd or obscure, and paste it into just the right spot. That, and he knows that hip-hop can be colourful and creative, and doesn't have to take itself seriously at all. (Look at that title!)
How does he do that? He weaves together elaborate melodies of hip-hop beats and breaks, hard-rock and buzzing electronic variations on both of them. Then he layers them with samples, scratches, electronic ripples, and a heavy dose of "everything else," which pop up to keep the sound from ever being the same. It's even harder to find flaws when the music itself is a nonstop tumble of sound.
And there's no real vocals -- just more samples, keeping this from ever becoming (heaven forbid!) monotonous. "These things need to become second nature to a good progressive disc jockey," a radio announcer says, right before the grimy beats kick in.
My mom doesn't listen to DJs, but I imagine Kid Koala would be able to win her over. A complete triumph, and a thorough delight for anyone lucky enough to find out about it.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
buy this cd, August 15, 2007
His best lp since scratchcratchscratch. Kid Koala is a jazz musician who happens to use the one's and two's. He goes from FLA blues to guitar riffs in beautiful fashion. There are really only two kinds of music good music and bad music and if its good you don't care how it was mad you just listen to it and this is exceptionally good music.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Always makes me laugh., June 25, 2008
Kid Koala has a great sense of humor, and it shows up in his music. Not only is he talented, he cracks me up. He's rather eclectic in his choice of music, which keeps you on your feet. Always switching it up with a smile.
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