DJ Smash
Recollection Vol. 1
Instinct
Acid jazz’s premature demise a few years back mainly had to do with a communication gap: rappers didn’t quite understand jazz and jazz musicians couldn’t exactly grasp hip-hop. The end result, for the most part, was only two steps away from Kenny G. Now, the DJs have stepped into the fray – and to much better results. The main reason for this, perhaps, is that unlike many of their predecessors, they remembered that jazz was originally dance music.
DJ Smash definitely has not forgotten. Recollection Vol. 1 is an exhilarating celebration of dance music and jazz. Though not exactly at the level of Jazzanova/Sonarkollektiv, DJ Smash knows how to move you whether it’s to make you chill with “Cooldown” – an R&B-tinged, mellow track with silky vocals by Vera Pollard – or to get you to shake it with “Bossanova.” Smash really hits his stride with his electro-African tracks, “Afrikanisms” and “Daktari,” where he blends his dance beats with African vocals and instrumentation and a touch of jazz, which is mildly reminiscent of Six Degrees’ Frikyiwa Collection. When all is said and done, DJ Smash knows his music and knows how to use it to its best effect: giving his listener an all-around good listen.
Instinct Records: http://www.instinctrecords.com
