Search - DJ Cam :: DJ Kicks

A Beautiful Hip-Hop/Electronica Marriage

bordersj2 | Boston | 09/20/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"DJ Cam is one of my favorite DJ's. He's got his own style, his own likes, his own motivation and you can tell the music that he's passionate about. With quite a few noteworthy projects and releases in his reportoire over the past 10 years... from Paris Nu-Jazz compilations to blunted hip-hop jazz, to work with Guru of Gangstarr to mad soulful clips. The man knows soul, he knows the vibe and atmosphere of the city and it seems very fitting for him to put in a slammin' entry to !K7's DJ Kicks series.



You get a feel of Cam's influence from a track taken off of his 1996 album "Dieu Reconnaitra Les Siens". I love the song... it's mad deep, the tunes, the meaning and flow of the music; beautiful. It's followed up by some classic electronic work by Minus 8 with 'Zero G'. Check the effects in that one then how the beat slows and drops into a deeper, darker place with Daphreephunkateerz's "Dark Jazz". What a bass line in that and in classic Cam fashion, he ads that touch of class in the remix with the sax. Later in the album you've got some Hip-Hop from different continents with twists to the cuts that solidify the mood. 4-Hero's own Tek 9 puts a track in there with "Gettin' Down Again", the perfect prelude to Hip-Hop heaven. Rodney P. follows up with "Things in Time", a style that'll take you back to the mid to early 90's sound... one that I still honestly love. Another highlight is Rasco's "Unassisted"... it doesn't have to be perfect, just has to fit the groove. The set hits an appropriate pinnacle with Tommy Hool's "Milan", but the track is given a hell of a face-lift by Cam. He bridges it with clips from "Suckers Never Play That" so you can feel his accent all over the cut. Bliss.



I definitely recommend this to the fan of 90's hip-hop or anyone that had a connection to underground New York sounds of the decade. I really like this album, even today. Admittedly the atmosphere's dark (which i love), but at time's the cross fading is tripped & I wasn't a fan of The Ragga Twins "Jugglin". But none of that's enough to forego this altogether. The linear notes state that 'DJ Cam unites his own highly contemporary style with the New York underground sound he considers "the most beautiful music in the wold."' When layed on a platter like this, and your imagination wanders to your own urban soundtrack & adventure, you start feeling mad blunted and it's near impossible to disagree with that. If you dig this, definitely check his "Mad Bluted Jazz", Guru's Jazzmatazz series, The Future Sound of Jazz series on Compost Records and work by Amon Tobin, DJ Krush, Mr. Scruff and King Kooba."

DJ Cam Proves his Dj Kicks Entry to be amongst the best....

fetish_2000 | U.K. | 03/30/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"French musican "Dj Cam" has had a long history of Instrumental beats, and has updated the unchanged Hip-Hop arrangement of beats, and slowed the tempo and Blunting the beats creating something more suited to home listening but more chilled and minimally arranged.

His Dj Kicks release has the honour of being amongst the finest of the 'Dj Kicks series (sharing such illustrious space with "Kruder & Dorfmeister..etc), starting out with the downtempo beats that he made his name by, so the gorgeous loungy Electronica of Cam's own "Dieu Reconnaitra Les Siens" opens the open album beautifully, and moves along with this elegant form of electronica, before easing into some Jazzy Hip-Hop courtesy of a Cam Remix of "Daphreephunkateerz - Dark Jazz" which feels similar to some of "The Herbalisers" work. One of the real early Standouts is the Funky house introduction of "Mighty Bop's - Ride Away" ....and it's here that you realise 6 Tracks into the mix, that you've already passed through 3 Genres (Electronica, Hip-Hop, House). An excursion into Rap is next with "Rodney P's" Toughtalking "Things in time" steps the BPM up a couple of notches, and the next couple of tracks are excellent Vocal Rap (courtesy of "Awesome 2"), but a huge shift in direction (and another standout track) is the Anti-Crime Jungle Anthem of "The Ragga Twins - Juggling", that although completely out of odds with how the album started, and Cam's Downtempo Beats is a startling surprise, and unexpected inclusion in the mix. And how the Album starts, it must also end.....with The last track being the sublime "Bronx Theme" (especially composed by Cam) for the Compilation, and is a masterfully orchestrated Chilled Trip-Hop track, that wouldn't be out of place on his exemplary "Mad Blunted Jazz" album, full of late night groove and style, this is as elegant a track, as it is head noddingly rhythmic. Those expecting "Mad Blunted Jazz part 2" will undoubtedly be disappointed as the track-listing moves through too many genres of varying BPM for it to be the ultimate soothing Electronica / Trip-hop Cd, but those that are just looking for a fantastically compiled mix album (it should also be mentioned that DJ Cam, scratches on a handful of the tracks here, and although his skills don't approach that of a highly skilled turntablist, its inclusion is most welcomed) this stands along with not only being amongst the best of the DJ Kicks albums, but also of Cam's own studio albums......highly recommended."

A standout cd in a great series.

Gregory Gross | Columbus, Ohio United States | 01/28/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"`I have at least 14 of the DJ Kicks cd series and this is one of the standouts. Being an east coast person living in the Ohio Valley it was refreshing to hear a real slice of home, which is to say underground hip-hop New York City. Though some of these artist may not be considered "underground" any more this cd takes us back to when the sound was just being created, when the music began to take a direction away from mainstream dilution.
Other music on this cd was a plesant surprise to hear and has had me looking for these obscure artist, many whom are hard to find. DJ Cam has some of them here on this magnificint journey through the early to mid 1990's."