DJ Jazzy Jeff

The percentage of sophisticated house music (or "deep" house) that is dire and samey is alarmingly high -- higher than most other forms of music. Thankfully, DJ Jazzy Jeff shows throughout the majority of this expansive two-disc mix that he's adept at picking some of the best of the lot. House heads who stay on top of new releases and refer to anything older than a few months as "old" or "played-out" might not be impressed, but time will show that this set is a vibrant reflection of house in the early 2000s. If you find no joy in Ron Trent's mix of Jody Watley's "Saturday," Osunlade's mix of Erro's "Rock Wit U Dub," the Chez mix of Jazztronik's "Samuri," or Trackheadz's "Our Music," you might as well give up on deep house and never go near the stuff again. Jeff also mixes in several long-established underground dance classics, such as Herman Kelly & Life's "Dance to the Drummer's Beat," Nina Simone's "See Line Woman," Cymande's "Bra," and Kool & the Gang's "Open Sesame," and they mingle with the modern material better than expected. With any luck, the set will convert some house-phobic hip-hop fanatics; Jeff is one of the few active hip-hoppers who spins house (modern or otherwise), and he does it very, very well. A bonus disc features six of the tracks from the mix in full, unmixed form. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide