1. Intro
2. He's A Nutbag
3. Wheels
4. Fertilizer
5. Breakfast Cereal
6. Yoda In Reverse
7. Playin' Around
8. Cuban Brothers FM
9. Let's Get Old
10. Fiddy
11. Holdin' Down The Block
12. Haunted House
13. Bargain Hunters
14. Chatterbox
15. Tip Toe
16. Luke's Advice
17. Brush Off
18. Zipper Scratch
19. Fresh Fly Fellas
20. Duellin' Banjos
21. SALAAM
22. Just Practising
23. Pussy Cat
24. Darn, That's The End
25. Muted Cartoons
DJ Yoda has been tipped by one music magazine as one of the 10 DJs you should see before you die. His incredibly versatile scratching and mixture of musical styles has made sure he gets all the good gigs. Recently he turned his hand to VJ-ing clips from classic movies and also joined a classical orchestra on the decks. It's surprising then that he's found enough time to put this album together - but like everything he does you'll be knocked out by his turntable genius.
This is his first 'proper' album following the highly successful How To Cut And Paste mix tapes and he takes centre stage with a greatly individual hip hop album that can't help but make you smile. Reminiscent of the happy, playful vibe of De La Soul's Three Feet High and Rising, The Amazing Adventures Of... will be unlike any hip hop album you'll hear for a while. It's a back to basics selection that seeks to breathe life into Hip Hop by bringing back the fun spirit of its early pioneers from back in the days when rap was a reaction against gangs rather than the reflection of their activities.
The opening sample tells us we are about to embark on a remarkable experience. It's 25 tracks, including several short mixes and skits - sometimes hilarious, sometimes downright odd. It's easy to imagine Yoda as a hip hop mad professor stuck in a lab surrounded by bubbling musical experiments. The album's first single Wheels kick off the proceedings with Yoda rightfully dominating the decks with an effective 80s style breakdance-along track. Afterwards the guest performers come thick and fast including the Jungle Brothers, Princess Superstar and Bargain Hunt's David Dickinson...
DJ Yoda just wants us to dance and any music is fair game for his sampler. 70s TV themes such as Call My Bluff and Please Sir nestle against the likes of Biz Markie hilariously rapping for three minutes on what his favourite breakfast cereal is. The subject matter for most of the tracks mean we're far from the hood - Scooby Doo and cleaning your teeth are topics for the obvious singles. Mercury Prize nominee Sway also appears ranting about people who use mobile phones in a riff worthy of Jeremy Clarkson on Grumpy Old Men.
As it's DJ Yoda, you can expect plenty of samples from films including Star Wars and it is difficult to suppress a cheer when Mark Hamill pops up to say hello. The overload of skits might not be to your taste but the main tracks on this album are immediately danceable.
This is fun, batty stuff without descending into novelty records hell. If you're throwing a party you should chuck this on as this is as much hip hop fun you can have with your clothes on.
share: 
out this week:
