I’ve never really been a fan of Yoda. An undeniable master turntablist and crowd-pleaser, the gimmick of his ‘80s Cut & Paste vibes soon wore thin on me, and the one time I saw him play it was like being at an extremely cheesy wedding. This CD however, is pretty much faultless and has definitely turned me into a fan.
A slick intro which sees the slick-mixer cut up dozens of samples of people saying “fabric” suggests from the off that he’s put massive effort into this mix, and indeed he keeps things interesting throughout with oodles of scratching, beat-juggling, and double-take-inducing mixes. Violent Femmes’ Blister In The Sun kicks us off in buoyant spirits, coming across like the Juno soundtrack fed through a surfer-punk band, before Skibadee’s rowdy ‘Tika Toc’ switches the tone to straight-up party vibes. We’re treated to an eclectic run of phat hip-hop in the first third, mixed in with curveballs like Ghost’s rousing ska-tinged, ‘60s soul sampling It’s All Love and the life-affirming Hot 8 Brass Band rework of Marvin Gaye’s Sexual Healing, brimming over with horn-y energy.
He’s at his best scratching like a madman over Jurassic 5’s Swing Set, or creating 3-way bootlegs between Gang Starr’s Just To Get A Rep, Jean Jacques Perry’s electronic milestone EVA and his and Herve’s Bonus Beats, or serving up a remarkable mix between two disparate tunes (check out Chemical Brothers’ Salmon Dance into The Coral’s In The Morning). More classic hip-hop is catered for in Run DMC’s It’s Tricky and Salt N Pepa’s Push It, before he drives us down an eclectic final third. Bondo Do Role’s Marina Gasolina somehow gives way to Minnie Riperton howling Lovin’ You with some Miami bass beats juddering away in the background, before current reggae hotshot Collie Buddz pitches in with his uplifting summer jam Come Around, with some wobbly drum ‘n’ bass swerving underneath.
Adam F’s classic Circles then gets a mash-up treatment with Yoda & Sway’s Chatterbox – but the vocal doesn’t really fit such a timeless piece of D’n’B in tone or lyrical content. The mix winds to a close via a touch more jungle, and a rowdy slice of grime/dubstep mashing in Skream’s classic Make Me with Wiley’s moody Gangsters over the top, before a bizarre, kooky little Latino ragtime jazz number from Lord Kitchener rounds things off.
Yoda’s hyperactive style and short attention span lends itself very well to this superb party mix, and combined with the eclectic, well programmed tracklisting, there’s never a dull moment. One of the best Fabriclive CDs in ages.
Check out our video interview with Yoda, and hear him talk about the making of this CD, as well as DJing in a giant tea-bag.