DJ Yoda

It's such a great idea: take a top-notch DJ and set him loose on a bin full of rock, new wave, hip-hop, and new romantic singles from the 1980s. The idea of using such dated fare as Johnny Hates Jazz's "Turn Back the Clock" or Prefab Sprout's "King of Rock 'n' Roll" as raw material for a turntablist extravaganza is just too much fun. And maybe the idea itself raises expectations of fun just a bit too high; on the other hand, maybe the problem is that DJ Yoda succumbs to the temptation to get too cutesy, layering the mix with annoying and distracting snippets from 1980s movies (dialogue from Ferris Bueller's Day Off features prominently) and juvenile scatological humor (oh, good -- fart jokes!). His cutting and scratching technique isn't bad at all, though, and there really is fun to be had here -- check the segue from Terence Trent D'Arby's "Sign Your Name" into Tom Browne's "Funkin' for Jamaica," for example, or the juxtaposition of Betty Boo's "Doin' the Do" with (wait for it...) Europe's "Final Countdown." The only really frustrating thing about this album is that with a little bit of discipline and taste, it could have been so much better than quite good. ~ Rick Anderson, All Music Guide