DJ Andy Smith
The Document
[FFRR/London]
Rating: 8.3
While DJ albums have notoriously sold poorly in the states, much of their
sluggishness can be attributed to the American public's hesitancy to
gravitate towards anything un-melodic. When Roni Size releases an album's
worth of drum-n-bass, it takes someone who has some sort of musical
understanding to get it; to realize that there doesn't have to be a sung
hook line to validate the music.
Then there are the folks that realize accessibility doesn't always
have to be bad. You can lump DJ Andy Smith into this category. Currently
spinning with Portishead, Smith has taken time to record his version of a
mix tape and tagged it The Document. This mix of rap, funk, and R+B rips
and rolls unlike any mix tape left in my car by an ex- girlfriend.
According to Smith, "It was whilst on the first Portishead tour of the
USA I was asked to do a show on the radio station WFNX in Boston. I said
no because it was primarily a techno show but they persuaded me and I went
on-- playing a mix of hip hop, funk, soundtracks-- and everyone really got
into it. So much so, in fact, that it was eventually bootlegged. It was
this that led to London Records approaching me to put together The
Document."
And that's exactly Smith's genius. By shying away from techno and instead
waking up on the pop side of the tape deck, Smith's document has instant
appeal.
Starting out with beats from Portishead's Geoff Barrow, Smith slides into
"How Ya Want It" by the underrated Jungle Brothers, and from there into
Jeru the Damaja's "Come Clean." The tape really gains life upon the
infusion of the beer- commercial classic "Funk 49." Another standout is
"Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay", but not the Otis Redding version.
Instead, Smith digs up a '70s kitsch explosion from Peggy Lee, heavy on
the synthetic funk. Smith really doesn't do much showmanship on the wheels
of steel, instead flexing his muscle through his shrewd song selection.
London Records and Smith may not be doing a great job publicizing The
Document, but don't let their ineptitude dissuade you. Go find it. If
worse comes to worst, you can always dig out the mix tape under the
passenger seat. You know the one-- the eclectic mix of Indigo Girls songs
knit tightly together with Toad The Wet Sprocket and Ani DiFranco tracks.
But when you get your hands on The Document, hold on tight.
-Lang Whitaker