DJ Food – Kaleidoscope

DJ Food steps out of the shadow of Coldcut and releases <I>Kaleidoscope</I>, 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.