Artist: DJ CamTitle: DJ Cam Revisited ByRating: 2 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Dustin Glick
French hip-hop aficionado DJ Cam first came on the scene with 1994’s Underground Vibes, which was later repackaged with a live CD and the wonderfully titled Mad Blunted Jazz. This classic debut of thick jazzy beats paved the way for Cam’s successful career as a DJ and producer of both hip- and trip-hop. In fact, Cam has been so successful he’s finally warranted a disc of remixes from some of today’s finest beat-makers. On DJ Cam Revisited By (Inflammable), artists such as DJ Vadim, DJ Premier and Thievery Corporation get to work remixing some of Cam’s tracks. Unfortunately, despite all the talent on the roster, these re-visitations leave us with songs that are worse than or too similar to the originals.
There are a few highlights on the album. Thievery Corporation does their usual thing and turns “Success” into a slo-motion sex groove. Attica Blues takes the song track and turns up the funk. Additionally, DJ Premier gives “Voodoo Child” (featuring Afu Ra) the typical Premo sound we’ve all come to know and love, and best of all, Flytronix switches genres and turns “Innervisions” into a drum n bass track.
Sadly, the bad and the boring outnumber the good and the groovy. The exciting combination of Tek 9 and Four Hero inexplicably churns out a thoroughly average down tempo translation of “Meera.” Lord Finesse actually makes “Broadcasting Live” (featuring Channel Live), one of Cam’s best Hip-Hop joints, worse with an unexceptional beat. Bob Sinclair and Demon compete for the album’s worst track with Sinclair’s “In Da Club”-sounding version of “Espionage” (featuring Guru) and Demon’s lame house remix of “DJ Cam Sound System.”
With the simple nature of Cam’s songs, it seems only logical that his music would be perfect for creative remixing. Instead, most of the artists play it safe, and only Thievery Corporation and Flytronix do much to switch between genres. Worst of all, out of 13 tracks, two songs are remixed twice, and one song, “Success,” is remixed three times. While only a handful of tracks are actually unlistenable, a DJ Cam remix album could and should have amounted to more than just background music.
