DJ Logic - Project Logic (1999)

Country: U.S.A.

Genre: Future Jazz, Hip-Hop

Label Number: RAD-003

.FLAC via Florenfile

.AAC 256 kbps via Florenfile

© 1999 Ropeadope Records

Project Logic Review by Sean Westergaard

A lot of DJs have stepped to the front, recording as leaders, to varying degrees of success. While many of these efforts have been entertaining, very rarely do they succeed on a truly musical level. With the release of Project Logic, DJ Logic (a.k.a. Jason Kibler) changes all that.

Playing in Vernon Reid's band, and several years with Medeski, Martin & Wood, has not only given DJ Logic valuable training as an improvising musician, but has also left him incredibly well-connected to boot. This album was recorded in a series of sessions in New York, where DJ Logic, bassist Melvin Gibbs (Decoding Society, Rollins Band), and drummer Skoota Warner let the tapes roll with a myriad of invited guests. These improvised sessions were then edited and sometimes overdubbed to create the album. This gives the tracks the feeling (rightfully so) that actual musicians recorded this in real time, while listening to each other; that it's not just a studio creation. The only exception is "Spider Dance," where vocalist Jennifer Charles (Elysian Fields) joins on a track that could have come off the Golden Palominos' Pure. The other tunes explore various funky jazz settings, except for "Eyes Open (But Dead)," a straight-up hip-hop piece, and "Una Cosa Buena," a Latin number. Another highlight, "Mnemonics," has Logic mixing records from an Indian vocalist, while also utilizing a live tabla player and cornetist Graham Haynes.

Besides the usual suspects (MMW, Vernon Reid), a host of New York's finest appear: Marc Ribot, Steven Bernstein & Briggan Krauss of Sex Mob, and even legendary producer Teo Macero dusts off his horn to play on a track. The result is a fine musical offering that breathes the air of jazz improvisation; unprecedented by a DJ.

tags: dj logic, project logic, 1999, flac,