Cut Chemist Audience Is Listening CD

West Coast turntable whiz Cut Chemist has established himself as one of hip-hop's most esteemed mixmasters. Having cut and scratched on sides for underground rappers Jurassic 5, Chemist's nod to the classic mixtape approach of artists like Kid Capri and Steinski is evident on his own THE AUDIENCE IS LISTENING. Taking off from the classic turntablist trope of DJ-mix as journey, the album is an entertaining--if at times attention-deficit-addled--romp through hundreds of sound bites and stylistic cues.

Using samples, which are then scratched or beat juggled to create rhythms, Cut Chemist displays virtuoso turntable chops and a keen ear for confounding, yet humorous juxtapositions. While much of the album imagines a musical universe where the only instruments left are turntables, the track "The Garden" takes a more song-based approach. Combing a Brazilian percussion loop with lush orchestral strings, Astrud Gilberto's lilting vocals cap off this heady pop mash-up--a combination that will appeal to the lounge set and crate diggers alike.

Audio Mixers: Kent Hitchcock; Cut Chemist.

Recording information: Sao Paulo, Brazil; Studio 54, Boston, MA; The Laundry Room; The Stable.

Cut Chemist: Kent Hitchcock (various instruments).

Personnel: Kent Hitchcock, Beto Villares (guitar).

Additional personnel: Edan, Hymnal, Mr. Lif, Thes One.

Spin (p.77) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "'Metrorail Through Space' is the funkiest Disneyland theme music the park's never commissioned."
Entertainment Weekly (p.70) - "Cut Chemist makes frisky, gleeful funk that touches on Brazilian samba, surf rock, and even polka, without losing the beat." -- Grade: B
Alternative Press (p.230) - "Each of the dozen tracks on his debut is a fully realized vignette that makes a particular locale startlingly vivid."
CMJ (p.4) - "Using jittery samples, meaty drums and lots of itchy scratching, Chemist turns his encyclopedic knowledge of hip-hop into a genre-bending collection of tracks..."
Vibe (p.144) - "[P]acked with energetic samples and seasoned with Brazilian flavor."
Mojo (Publisher) (p.103) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "A joyful simplicity was Jurassic 5's gift to hip hop, and Cut Chemist's spotlight turn similarly satisfies."