Artist: A-TrakTitle: Oh No You Didn’t!Rating: 4 StarsReviewed by: Paine
A-Trak is arguably the most wanted live DJ in Hip-Hop. Having moved swarms on the road with Kanye West, his technical skills reign supreme, as the Montreal DJ has recently incorporated more club-minded records to his mixes. Recorded in Vancouver, Oh No You Didn’t! (Audio Research) is a balanced blend between party rocking and cue-burning.
The mix is split into four lengthy segments. The second of the four is the most impressive. Like Mark Ronson, A-Trak mixes designer rap records like Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl” as well as Notorious B.I.G.’s “Nasty Girl”. Both are blended away from their original music, but the mix grows very party-friendly. Within this, A-Trak drops in on De La Soul’s “Keepin’ the Faith” and The Funky Four +1’s “That’s the Joint”, keeping it defiantly Hip-Hop too. This is A-Trak at his best: scratching, blending, and cutting through the perfect party mix.
The third DJ set gets away from Hip-Hop, and conquers R&B, House, and Electro. While 2 Live Crew’s “Megamix” and MIA’s “Galang” are interesting choices for a live set, large gaps of several minutes during the mix get abstract. R Kelly’s “Trapped in the Closet”, though boosted by an uptempo instrumental, still seems to be a buzz-kill. A-Trak has a lot of fun with the other genres, and this certainly breaks the mold of a Hip-Hop DJ. To close, A-Trak cruises the South for booming beats and dirty lyrics that end similar to his energetic opening.
Throughout the mix, A-Trak pledges his allegiances to G.O.O.D. Music, playing some Common, and a whole lotta Kanye. Who can blame him though? They mesh with his sound, and keep the party fresh. There are experimental holes in this mix that certainly won’t please either side of the musical spectrum. However, A-Trak proves that he can rock a better party than your favorite scratch DJ, and he has more skills to pay the bills than your typical record jock.
