Album Review – DJ Deckstream

DJ Deckstream

“Soundtracks 2”

(Lexington)

If you were astute enough to have picked up “Soundtracks”, the 2007 debut album from Japan’s DJ Deckstream, then you should already know what to expect from its recently released follow-up – chunky, soulful Hip-Hop-influenced beats and a diverse selection of featured artists. Yet whereas its predecessor relied heavily on support from a smattering of rap favourites (Lupe Fiasco, Talib Kweli, Camp Lo), “Soundtracks 2” looks towards a number of R&B-flavoured acts to provide the album’s vocal backbone.

The cryptically titled “Screwtape” kicks the album off in a buoyant, celebratory mood, with Deckstream’s catchy production evoking images of a colourful b-boy carnival with lyricist L-Universe rhyming atop a graffiti-daubed float to head-bopping bystanders. The mood soon mellows, however, as the brilliant Nikki Jean uses her subtle tones to spin a tale of heartbreak on “Exit Sign”, accompanied by the same mournful Lonnie Liston Smith piano sample heard on Jay-Z’s classic “Dead Presidents”.

Having hovered under the mainstream radar for some time now, vocalist / emcee Novel pre-empts his soon-to-released major label debut with the brisk, off-kilter jazz swing of “Around We Go”, whilst former Brand New Heavies chanteuse N’Dea Davenport delivers a classy vocal performance on the 70s-tinged “Real Thang”.

Only the uninspired “For My Ladies” slows the project’s momentum, with guest artist Melodee’s good-natured girl-power rhymes hampered by Deckstream’s redundant use of the same Bruce Hornsby sample utilised on 2Pac’s popular posthumous hit “Changes”.

Yet that one musical misstep notwithstanding, and with further appearances from the likes of Mos Def and Nice & Smooth upping the album’s entertainment factor, “Soundtracks 2” is another impressive example of DJ Deckstream’s sonic craftsmanship.

Ryan Proctor