Mad Blunted Jazz

• Artist: DJ Cam
• Rating:
• Release Date: November 12, 1996
• Total Time: 94:45
• Type: Compilation (best of), Contains explicit content
• Genre: Electronica

Review

Electronica producers like the Orb had been mining the ideas of minimalist and house producers for years, and DJ Cam's fusion of jazz and hip-hop was creative and artistically successful in much the same way -- instead of Tangerine Dream or Steve Reich, substitute Ahmad Jamal or Bobby Hutcherson and Gang Starr. Cam's vision of the late-night creep encompassed lots of oddly tuneful piano or vibes samples and the type of simple East Coast beats favored by DJ Premier and the like. The American Shadow label combined his first two records, the studio Underground Vibes and the live Underground Live, to create a two-fer that's very necessary for those interested in early trip-hop. DJ Cam wasn't a crate-digger like DJ Shadow; he much preferred creating a reflective atmosphere around a chosen few samples, usually familiar. While simplistic (especially early in his career), it was often very effective, as the best tracks here illustrate. "Sang-Lien" has only vibes, a fragment of a flute line, and muted trumpet, but Cam still creates something very special with the addition of a French chanteuse. "Mad Blunted Jazz" switches it up a bit, moving between multiple drum tracks and samples. Most of these are little more than background hip-hop tracks that the average rapper wouldn't even consider rhyming over, but in the grand tradition of ambient music (from Satie to Eno), DJ Cam's productions ranked near the top. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide

Tracks

CD 1

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Abstract Intro	DJ Cam	DJ Cam	(:19)
Gangsta Shit	DJ Cam	DJ Cam	(4:24)
Mad Blunted Jazz	DJ Cam	DJ Cam	(5:11)
Suckers Never Play That	DJ Cam	DJ Cam	(2:08)
Sang-Lien	DJ Cam	DJ Cam	(6:00)
Underground Vibes	DJ Cam	DJ Cam	(4:32)
Romantic Love	DJ Cam	DJ Cam	(4:39)
The Return of the Jedi	DJ Cam	DJ Cam	(5:30)
Other Aspects	DJ Cam	DJ Cam	(5:07)
Dieu Reconnaitra Les Siens	DJ Cam	DJ Cam	(6:03)
Free Your Turntable and Your Scratch Will Follow	DJ Cam	DJ Cam	(7:38)
Pure Pleasure	DJ Cam	DJ Cam	(6:26)

CD 2

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Experience [Live]	DJ Cam	DJ Cam	(1:56)
Hip Hop Opera [Live]	DJ Cam	DJ Cam	(5:04)
Underground Vibes [Live]	DJ Cam	DJ Cam	(3:21)
Meera [Live]	DJ Cam	DJ Cam	(5:18)
Dieu Reconnaitra Les Siens [Live]	DJ Cam	DJ Cam	(4:18)
Mad Blunted Jazz [Live]	DJ Cam	DJ Cam	(3:21)
Lost Kingdom [Live]	DJ Cam	DJ Cam	(3:56)
Gangsta Shit [Live]	DJ Cam	DJ Cam	(4:09)
London 1995 [Live]	DJ Cam	DJ Cam	(5:25)

Credits

DJ Cam (Scratching), M. Elton Eller (Design), DJ Cam (Turntables), A Smooth One (Piano), M. Elton Eller (Art Direction), A Smooth One (Vibraphone)