I have yet to be fully convinced of the relevance of the DJ mix. Are they good at parties? Sure. Are they entertaining? On occasion. Do you listen to them over and over until you have every synth splash and subtle nuance memorized? Ahh, there's the problem. Whether they're comprised of funk, Moroccan trance, Ibiza disco, or some insidious blend of the three, they're usually going to find their way into the "sell" pile eventually. Here's why:

1. The At-Home-Listening Problem: I admire a good DJ's ability to get me shakin' that ass on the dancefloor, but oftentimes, that doesn't make for an engaging experience when I'm commutin' that ass from DC to Baltimore in the morning. Rare is the mix, I've found, that can hold up without the usual fog machine and strobe light accompaniment.

2. The Novelty Wear-Off: The first time through, most DJ mixes usually turn up a bunch of surprises, along the lines of, "Dude, I can't believe he just segued Saul Williams into Sonic Youth!" But too often, when the shock of an inventive pairing fades, so too does the charm.

3. The Wank Factor: Defined as the prioritization of technique over content; a DJ making "wikkity wikkity wik" noises for an hour is about as entertaining as a guitarist going "deedily deedily deedily" for an hour. We're all impressed by their amazing dexterity, sure, but isn't there anything else these guys can do?

That being said, last year I discovered a mix that successfully avoided all three of the above pitfalls: the much-admired, widely-bootlegged Brainfreeze. A collaboration between icon DJ Shadow and Jurassic 5 turntablist Cut Chemist, Brainfreeze was a one-hour throwdown comprised largely of rare funk and soul 45s. Based around neglected classics like "The Funky DJ," "The Tramp from Funky Broadway," and most famously, 7-11's "Doin' the Slurp" jingle, the two kept the overt DJ trickery to a minimum and sculpted a mixtape symphony that withstood repeated listens.

Product Placement, the duo's latest collaboration, is being hyped as the sequel to Brainfreeze, with a similar mission (all rare 45s), format (two tracks, one hour) and release (extremely limited). Unfortunately, this sequel status will invariably lead to lazy critics comparing the new release to its cult classic predecessor. Lazy critics like me: it's not as good, and doesn't skirt the above pet peeves quite as nimbly.

The album's first track gets off to a slow and clichéd start with the standard self-referential samples and exhibitions of scratching speed. Oddly, the first recognizable song used is Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love," which would seem to indicate a different musical direction for the ensuing hour (is there any man less funky than Jimmy Page?). But quickly the piece settles down into a more soulful, chill pace, constructed from a rapid-fire series of laid-back instrumental segments. So the seamless blending demonstrated on Brainfreeze remains intact, but with source material that comes across as considerably less energetic and gritty.

Complaint #2 is dangerously courted by the first track's centerpiece, "Cookin' with Gas," a natural gas promotional tune featuring teenagers giving the most awful rapping performances imaginable. While the humor of the song and the DJs' juvenile interweaving of, yes, fart noises rapidly wears off, Shadow and Cut Chemist place it over a sparse, old-school beat that provides a solid foundation for the middle ten minutes of the piece. Soon enough, though, the mix returns to a slow, funky strut that, while enjoyable, doesn't provide much in the way of memorable moments.

Lest you think I'm unfairly comparing Product Placement to its predecessor, the second half of the disc begins with five minutes of re-worked Brainfreeze staples like "California Soul" and "I'd Be Nowhere Today." Using different versions or segments of their previous record's 45s, these tracks no doubt brought huge cheers when the set was played on their late 2001 mini-tour. Unfortunately, it comes across here as sour and cloying.

The following sections utilize a variety of commercial jingles (hence the title) and novelty tunes espousing the virtues of soft drinks, milk, Motocross, and more. Obviously attempts to recreate the popular "Doin' the Slurp" sequence from Brainfreeze, the results vary from successful (a folk-and-brass solder job on "The Real Thing") to near unlistenable (revving motorcycle noises are, unsurprisingly, sort of hard on the ear in any context).

By re-mining the same territory of their previous mutual effort with less compelling material, Product Placement falls into a trap familiar to sequels of another genre: film. It would be overly harsh to say DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist have produced their Staying Alive here, but in the end, the album is no more satisfying a follow-up than, say, Jaws 2. It's a damn shame: had it been an Empire Strikes Back, this reviewer might have been that much closer to seeing the DJ light.

-Rob Mitchum, February 4th, 2002