German label !K7's DJ Kicks series has developed a reputation as the eclectic mix of choice for discerning heads. With no disrespect to the fine mixology of Nicolette, Terranova and DJ Cam, the Kruder & Dorfmeister installment built that reputation, and stands today as one of the few truly essential DJ mix albums.
It also stands as a proxy for K&D's will-it-ever-get-here debut album, for although they only mix in two of their own songs, the Austrian duo stamp their class, sense of fun and peerless good taste all over this album.
Tagged as acid jazz hipsters early on, Kruder & Dorfmeister deftly shake that label on this release. There are plenty of jazzy breaks here, but they shine in an eclectic atmosphere that still feels fresh today. The mix is rhythmically adventurous: Slammin' hip-hop beats are present and accounted for by Thievery Corporation's "Shaolin Satellites"; The Lab Rats' "Give My Soul" offers deliciously funky junglist breaks, and dub echoes saturate every track. K&D's original track ("DJ Kicks") is even in waltz-time (perhaps an ironic nod to their Austrian heritage).
Yet it's all remarkably cohesive, and as smoothly mixed as any DJ set you'll ever hear. The set is so well crafted, in fact, that you'll hardly notice if you let it loop back to track 1. Might as well get used to playing this one on "repeat" now.
If you like Kruder & Dorfmeister, check out:
Aphrodite Aphrodite
Coldcut Journeys By DJ
Dimitri From Paris A Night At The Playboy Mansion
Andrea Parker Kiss My Arp
Mark Farina Mushroom Jazz
DJ Morpheus Freezone (Vols. 1-5)
DJ Cam DJ Kicks
