Review: Various Artists “Return of the DJ Vol. 5”

Various Artists
“Return of the DJ Vol. 5”
(Bomb)

Can you remember when you first saw a guy’s face in a magazine or on TV and recognized him as a DJ? You know, the guy behind two turntables making noises with that ancient tool we call a record? Would you know who I was talking about if I compared Mixmaster Mike with Jimi Hendrix? Did you watch “Wave Twisters” on the Independent Film Network? Do you know ITF? DMC? Crab? Flare? Fader? Stylus? Grand Wizard Theodore? Wax? Breaks? Transform? Scratch? Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash, and Afrika Bambaataa? Are you lost? If not, you’ll like this disc. Do you get bummed when you go to a club, and there’s a DJ instead of a live band? Then you might not like the whirlwind of Turntablist cuts, and mixes found on “Return of the DJ Vol. 5”. If you don’t think a DJ is a musician, give any of the five volumes available a listen, and prepare to accept your ignorance. Vol. 5 is a collection of some the best DJs in the world. Candidates from Japan, UK, Canada, Europe, US, and California (including DJ H.O.P. representing San Diego) all lend their fair share of craftsmanship. This is essential material for you B-Boy /B-Girl Scratch nerds who are up on all of this chaos. Since the DJs return, it doesn’t look like their ever going back.

Hugh Knight One