Track Listing

1. Full Bleed
2. Cookin'
3. Break
4. Riff
5. Ageing Young Rebel - DJ Food, Ken Nordine
6. Crow
7. Nocturne
8. Nevemroe
9. Sky at Night
10. ...You
11. Minitoka
12. Reprise (A Splash of Debussy)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #54143 in Music
• Released on: 2000-04-04
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .16 pounds

Amazon.com
DJ Food has become an identity that grows independently of its individual members. Originally it was an alias for Coldcut's Jonathon More and Matt Black, who were responsible for the first three volumes of Jazz Brakes in the early '90s. They joined forces with (the man known as) Strictly Kev and Patrick Carpenter for two more Jazz Brakes releases and 1995's A Recipe for Disaster, while at live DJ gigs, DJ Food was just Kev and Carpenter. Now those two have taken over the group name wholly and--unlike classic-rock bands past their heyday who hit the county-fair touring circuit with no original members--Kaleidoscope is DJ Food's most mature (in a good way) release to date. "Jazz" is a reference point throughout this release, from the downtempo, Zawinulesque electric-piano chords on the opening track to Chicago radio personality Ken Nordine's rather too ironic evocation of an aging beatnik. When they drop the self-consciousness and let the music speak for itself, the CD changes from merely clever to quite beautiful, and the second half sounds like the soundtrack to an intriguing imaginary film. --Bob Bannister

Customer Reviews

Simply put...
Kaleidoscope is a masterpiece. It's one of those classics that will never, and won't ever, outdate itself.
Much different than previous works by DJ Food, probably because the Coldcut duo didn't collaborate on this one. The past releases were all excellent productions. But I have to hand it to More and Black for stepping out of this one. PC and Strictly Kev, previous Food collaborators, created this one by themselves.
Nice job guys.
One of Ninja Tune's best in my opinion.

A great album from Dj Food
Er, this is a tough one to review, but here goes:

    Kaleidoscope starts off strong, with Full Bleed, which has a really big sound, and goes from ominous to very jazzy. The jazzy feel continues into Cookin', which ambles along, and reminds me of Coldcut when DJF starts stratchin' it up a bit :). When I say 'jazzy', I don't mean laid back or anything like that, I mean with a trebly, fast jazz beat with lots of hihats. I can't think of any other word to describe it.
    "Break" is a staccato, cut-up track, as DJ Food has some fun with a narration of somebody's pool game. This is perhaps the weakest track on the CD, but not bad. Again, fans of Coldcut might like this.
    "The Riff" is a fast-paced tune, balanced between a sinister baseline and fun brass, and sounds like it should be playing during a car chase in a detective movie. I'd say it has sort of a big-band style, and (along with Full Bleed) is similiar to what I've heard by Amon Tobin.
    Chicago radio guy Ken Nordine joins DJF for vocals on The Ageing Young Rebel. His voice is quite fun to listen to, and has a low and harsh, but smooth, with a sound that suits the lyrics well. Ken's vocals are the main point of the song, but the rest is good too.
    Starting with "The Crow", the CD starts getting slower, more dramatic, and often have an ominous feeling. The Crow is a good example of this, with a low sound (double bass?), that DJF mixes up enough to remind that he's still a DJ, and then gradually works in half an orchestra. This is a nice track.
    "Nocture (Sleep Dyad 1)" has the neat loop that plays on the DJF website as the focus of the song, but in my opinion, time is wasted working up to it, only to have it disappear halfway through, and need 'working up to' again. However, this track is still ok.
    "Nevermore" begins with a spooky sound, and maybe wouldn't feel out of place in a horror film. (Wait, not one of those stupid 'Scream' clones, I mean, something really suspenseful here). DJF adds a beat that suddenly turns fast and intense, not to mention a brass section, but the spookiness returns for the ending (which is somewhat of a cliffhanger).
    "The Sky at Night" is dramatic, with a mystic sort of feel. It's quiet, and could almost put you to sleep, a really nice track.
    "...You" is a slow song, with somebody playing a relaxing tune on the vibes, and a slow, held back, sorta beat and some very nice vocals. This one /will/ put you to sleep, but it's not boring. One of my favourite tracks.
    Ah, Minitoka. This one is light, with some harp and flute stuff, slow latin beat, and a very nice, warm, string section. About 3 minutes in, it sounds like it's winding down, but DJF changes the tune, while keeping the feeling of the song. All 9 minutes and 24 seconds are perfect, and show off DJF's musical sense and talent. It's awesome.
    The last track, "Reprise (A splash of debussy)" is a little 1:00 string tune, that sounds nice, but being so short, doesn't have time for much.
Phew, well, anyway, this disc is another great thing from the halls of Ninja Tune (a label I highly recommend, BTW). If you like other NT artists, or if you just enjoy really excellent music, you have to pick this up. There's no other word for it but beautiful.

From the people in Coldcut comes a sonic extravaganza...
DJ Food is a collaboration between the founders of the down-tempo groovers Coldcut and this definately marks a change in their musical evolution. Whilst Coldcut's music is Jazzy and uptempo, 'Kaleidoscope' represents a distinctly more dramatic and experimental turn. The main style of the album is that of an aural landscape which succeeds in letting the imagination soar amongst the synths and whispered beats of the album. The only tracks which differ from this style are 'aging young rebel' which sounds like something a stoned Morricone would write, and is no less good for that, and Nocturne which is a fantastic tune, rising xylophone beats and breaks. If you want challenging original and provocative music then buy this, it's definately worth your while.