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DJ Yoda – DJ Yoda Presents: Breakfast Of Champions

  • Written by  Rob Crozier

DJ Yoda has never been your conventional scratch DJ. On his latest album DJ Yoda Presents: Breakfast Of Champions he has collected an array of rising stars of the hip-hop world and mixed them up with a collection of musicians as he looks to assemble his first live band.

On top of this, he throws into the mix his eclectic blend of music which ranges from country through to salsa, include his more traditional hip-hop background, and you start to sense this album is something very special.

Yoda has never been afraid to branch out from the confines of the traditional hip-hop DJ. His How To Cut & Paste series alongside his last album, the acclaimed Chop Suey, which brought together a wealth of starry collaborators, show he has always pushed the boundaries.

With DJ Yoda Presents: Breakfast Of Champions we find that Duncan Beiny, aka DJ Yoda, is using this album as a platform for talent-spotting as well as bringing us something more than simply an album of collaborations. The album opens with ‘And to the World’, a lazy head bobber of a track which sets the scene. Yoda then begins to draws on pretty much every genre as he builds a wonderful album: hip-hop, dub, funk, reggae, RnB, ska, country… they are all here. 

‘Pebble Beach’ demonstrates this perfectly. This track is not only a mixture of styles, but is a whole lotta fun. It blends big fat beats within a doo-wop style with the subject matter dealing with our reliance on modern technology and the institutions we use. Yoda continues with ‘Click’, a dub based track with wonderful flowing lyrics which caused a stir before the album’s release as it took the spot of Single of the Week on BBC Radio 6 Music.

‘2468’ is the stand out track on album, as Yoda illustrates his ability to enjoy himself yet again. His long held belief is that music does not have to be taken too seriously. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t knock out a highly infectious groove which include 1980s style arcade sound effects which then slip seamlessly into country banjo and fiddles. There are not too many DJs that could think of this, let alone execute it so wonderfully.

As if to continue the theme he uses harmonica and trumpet to start a hip-hop track. As with a lot of Yoda’s tracks, it’s all tongue-in-cheek as his assembled MCs comment on the pointless mainstream rappers who all claim they are all “The Baddest”.

Another notable track is ‘Mantra’, which has a more laid back reggae dub style feel to it. Yet the lyrics are powerful as they comment on the current differences amongst us. Away from the lyrical content the track builds beautifully to a higher tempo with added brass and percussion.

This album is a sheer delight to listen to, and sees DJ Yoda’s continued rise as one of the most important DJs/producers out there. He has a wonderful ability to mix styles with infectious beats, and employs a vast array of musical genres where nothing is off limits. This is all done with a wry smile and a hint of a cheeky smile. Do… or do not, there is no try.

Breakfast Of Champions is available from amazon & iTunes.

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