reheated what and what?

Deejay Om
"Reheated Naan and Curry"
(Galapagos 4)

I wasn't quite sure when this came in yesterday. The packaging clearly says to me, "Hey I'm an $.89 bargain bin techno CD that's better used for a coaster." Still, my curiosity got the best of me and instead of throwing it in a discard pile along with the other 70 kabillion South Asian hip-hop CDs I get [1], I popped it in.

First of all, despite of its wacky title and imagery, Deejay Om is not a lame South Asian hip-hop artist. He is, however, a Bay Area beatmaker with a knack for well-placed samples. I haven't heard a good instrumental record in years (I think Pete Rock's "Petestrumentals" might've been the last great instrumental album and those MF Doom beats are only so-so), but Om's record may change all that.

It's a pretty moody album. In "This is Breakdance," Om goes from an uptempo, hand-clap-driven drum beat into "Hindi Whoridin'," a much more subdued jam. My favorite track on this record is "Dancing with the Ladies of Bombay" a thick, Bollywood funk jam. It makes me want to pick up my bass and start jamming with the album.

If you have the patience to listen to a hip-hop record without rapping, I highly recommend Om's "Reheated." It's good as background music, but even better to sit there and listen to how well constructed his songs are. It's also a constant reminder that good artists rarely get their dues, while in the meantime, Kanye West can still demand tens of thousands for his shitty faux-Dilla beats; he shouldn't even be allowed to touch a drum machine.

[1] On a bi-weekly basis, I'll get back catalog from a label that specializes in South Asian Hip-Hop from Canada or some shit. None of it is good. I'm not really too keen on hearing about the hard life in Vancouver or whatever and hearing mickiefickies name drop "Roots" (as in the clothing company, not the group or Alex Haley book) is not how I want to spend my days.