DJ Mayonnaise-Still Alive
i n f o
label........: Anticon
date ripped..: 07.07.2007
date released: 07.17.2007
url..........: anticon.com
release size.: 54,1 MB
encoder......: Lame 3.97 V2
bitrate......: avg. 174kbps
mode.........: Joint-Stereo
tracks.......: 11
source.......: CDDA
ripper.......: troof
n o t e s
New DJ Mayonnaise, out July 17th.
The rumours are true. DJ Mayonnaise is, indeed, Still
Alive. Eight years after the release of his debut-
Anticon's inaugural instrumental LP, 55 Stories -
Mayo' has returned in more ways than one. First, to
his hometown of Portland, Maine where he rediscovered
inspiration amongst the dusty vinyl bins and damp
seascapes of his youth, and now to the waiting world
with a sophomore album in hand. Still Alive is both a
fitting follow-up to 'Stories and a reinvention of
sorts. While DJ Mayonnaise is still a master of sample
and scratch, he's turned his attention to the art of
composition and subtle details. Though Still Alive has
its moments of quiet, rainy-day beauty, these serve as
counterpoints to a brightness that permeates the
songs. Simply put, this album, too, is alive.
Lead track "Post Reformat" opens with pop 'n' click
percussion, panning drums and a gurgling synth. But
what seems a mechanical give-and-take turns organic as
the particulars are played out on the turntables:
minor whirrs, a distorted vocal sample, glassy
scratches. It's evident that Mayo is aware of every
sound's place within the song, and he proves this
throughout Still Alive. "Easily Distracted" and "May
Days" are paragons of pacing, each rolling out over
crunchy drums and building fuzz, but the former
bending itself around crystalline keys and handclaps,
and the latter following the hypnotic groove of a live
clarinet. Conversely, "The Windham Song" is a menacing
bit of big beat with surging guitar, percolating kick-
heavy drums, deep bass that explodes into a bright
saxophone duet. Mayo's synth work and the guest
instrumentation breathe living air into the album, and
by the time Cambridge, Massachusetts wordsmith K-the-
I??? drops his devastating Howard Zinn-by-way-of-
Biggie Smalls diatribe on "Strateegery", we feel as if
we've been listening to a clear voice the entire time.
Mayo stretches out on Still Alive's second half - hear
the atmospheric jazz and digital croaking on "Dawson's
Anthem 2005", the Tubeway Army-inspired synth and
squelching distortion of "Munjoy Moments", and the
overall hugeness of "Quiet on the Set" - before
bringing the album to its final breath. But even as
"The End of the Beginning" comes to a quiet close,
Still Alive leaves us with the notion that tomorrow's
a new day.
DJ Mayonnaise has indeed returned.
BTW: I cut the bonus track down, as it had like 7m
of silence. What a waste.
d a t a
# t r a c k n a m e t i m e
01- Post Reformat [04:40]
02- Easily Distracted [03:31]
03- May Days [04:08]
04- The Windham Song [03:39]
05- Amp Circuit [01:11]
06- Strateegery (feat K-THE-I???) [03:58]
07- Dawson's Anthem 2005 [04:14]
08- Munjoy Moments [04:01]
09- Quiet on the Set [04:56]
10- The End of the Beginning [03:02]
11- Bonus Track [04:25]
54,1 m e g s t o t a l [41:45]