DJ REMIX ALBUMS – Good or Bad?

[Taz]

The age old question in the Bhangra music scene is, “Are DJ Remix albums good or bad for the music industry?” Well hopefully I can shed some light on the topic. Nowadays you have just as many new-comers releasing albums left and right, as you do big time established DJ’s. The tricky thing is that these newcomers can make these albums at home with little equipment, relying on the help of readily available DJ software that can be downloaded straight onto the computer. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of DJ’s out there that are amateurs using actual mixing equipment and tables to get their first break. On the other hand you have your big boys [i.e. DJ Sanj, Dr Zeus, RDB] that are established and have the full support of their record labels to spend as much as they need to get a mastered product out. That is the enormous difference between them and those basement DJ’s looking for a break. You can go to any local music shop and pick and chose between hundreds of DJ remix albums, but I would like to help our audience decide which ones are worthy of your hard-earned money.


*And as a disclaimer, All of my comments are just personal opinions and shouldn’t be taken to the heart. What is a good listen to me might not be a good listen to the next person, vice versa. Just take it as constructive criticism and with a grain of salt. With that said, I want to wish all the up and coming DJ’s that keep mixing Bhangra the best of luck and keep striving.*


THE GOOD


DJ AMAN STATIS [Truthfully Speaking 2] – Although some of the tracks are a little older, Aman still did an excellent job with the silky beats to go over the eccentric sound of the Dhol. Have to give him major props on the track Chal Hun where he inserted the live vocals of Malkit Singh as an intro. With the talents shown on this album, I expect big things in the future.

[Highlights ~ Malkit Singh – Chal Hun / Lehmber Hussainpuri – Gabroo Shakeen / Sukshinder Shinda – Gal Sun / Jassi Sidhu – Veer Dha Viyah / ]


DJ BMZ [Bhangra War Zone] – If you want a Remix CD that gets your shoulders moving this is the one. Lots of bass and dhol. DJ BMZ tried to keep it straight Desi and I think it paid off with the amount of great songs to choose from.

[Highlights ~ Harjit Harman – Mitraan Di Chatri / Nachatter Gill – Chake Jaam / Panjabi MC – Main Ho Gya Sharaabi / Sukshinder Shinda – Akh Jadon]


DJ HEERA [Infamouz Sounds One/Two and Finally Unleashed] - All three albums have a fairly new selection of songs with solid remixes to them. Some of the tracks are sped up to match beats which is a little annoying, but overall a nice collection to have. The addition of the Dhol to the tracks was the icing on the cake.

[Highlights are Aman Hayer’s – Heer Ranjha / Lehmber’s – Je Jatt / Manak E – Lak Hilda / Jazzy B – Soorma]


DHOL BEAT INTERNATIONAL [North American Bhangra Connection] – Now we’re talking about the big boys of the Bhangra remixing scene. This is what you call a REMIX CD by the cream of the crop from Houston. Although DBI only mixes the first 8 tracks on the CD they came strong with their song selection. The other guest DJ’s are DJ Kuki out of Chicago, DJ DNY out of Toronto and DJ Intensive Harry out of New York. DJ Kuki’s set of 5 tracks is probably the only disappoint of this album, but nevertheless it still stands far and away the best mix CD of the year so far.

[Highlights ~ DBI – Mitra Dhe Naal / DBI – Mahi Ve Mahi / DBI – Yaari / DJ DNY – Koka / DJ DNY – Soorma / DJ Kuki – Punjab Diyan Gallan / DJ Harry – Deh Le Gehra


DJ INTENSIVE HARRY [Bhangra Blast 2] - This is a nice follow up to Bhangra Blast One, with an impressive 34 track lineup. This is one of the few nonstop Bhangra remix CD’s you will find, which is a significant plus, but the only setback is the last 5 songs are really too slow and way to old school for me, which ruins it just a tad. Other than that, this is a respectable album and worth buying.

[Highlights ~ Sukshinder Shinda – Balle / Jazzy B – Yaari / Kuldip Manak – GT Road / Surinder Shinda – Gabroo Punjab Da]


DJ LUCKY JOHAL [Exclusive Bhangra] – A little bit of a half-hearted effort by a pretty good DJ. A few of the tracks sound exactly like the originals, and I don’t like the Reggaton influence on the first track. That stuff needs to stay out of Bhangra music! Overall with a selection of 21 tracks it is worth checking out.

[Highlights ~ RDB – Ishq Grindin / Lehmber Hussainpuri – Sunja Goriye / Rouge – Don’t Be Shy / Inderjit Nikku – Jattan De Munde]


DJ LUCKY JOHAL [Blackout] - Just like DJ Lucky’s other album, this one has the same subtle remixes on most of the tracks, but this one is definite listen. It has a good traditional feel to it, and the quality of the tracks are excellent.

[Highlights ~ Jazzy B – Soorma & Nachna / Balkar Sidhu – Punjaban / Balvir Boparai – Hostel]

DJ MAKHAN [Bhangra Craze 2] – He’s been around the scene for awhile now, and has a number of prior successes and you can add this to the list. It’s another CD to get your shoulders, feet and arms moving to the beat of Bhangra. Sensational effort by DJ Makhan. Not only did he remix a few new tracks, but he did a great job on a couple of classics.

[Highlights ~ Manak E – Pind De Munde / Pammi Bai - Jatt Punjabi / Nandy Kaur – Bhabi Meri Gut / Sukshinder Shinda – Hawwa]

DJ PDS + DJ STLYES [Underestimated] - Ok I’m going to contradict myself a little bit on this review. Although I’m not a big fan of hip-hop mixed in with Bhangra, these two guys did an excellent job. The Beats compliment the track selection perfect and it’s a perfect CD to get you hyped up and dance. A must have.

[Highlights ~ Daljit Mattu – Captain Bhangra Da / Manak E – Hor Glassy / Jassi Sidhu – Majane / Lehmber – Ah Ni Kuriye]


DJ SAHIL & DJ NAAG [Punjab] – This people is what you call your poor man’s version of DBI’s Absolut Bhangra. Which doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing; it’s just that the production and quality could have been a lot better. With that said, the selection of 35 reasonably new songs and the fact it’s a continuous mix makes this one of my new favorites. Certainly check it yet as I hope you won’t be disappointed!

[Highlights ~ RDB – Mitra Dha Naal / Manak E – Virsa Punjab Da / Karan MC – Balle Balle / Lehmber Hussainpuri – Put Jattan De / RDB – Yaari / Lehmber Hussainpuri – Sadi Gali / Sukshinder Shinda – Khusian]


DJ TAJ [Grand Theft Rickshaw] – If I graded an album on how funny it tried to be, then this would’ve been on the Bad list, because of its corny intro. But I don’t, so I have to say that this album is pretty decent. DJ Taj remixed a couple of different tracks that most DJ’s wouldn’t have attempted. So I give him credit for that.

[Highlights ~ RDB – Naal Nachna / Aman Hayer – Tharti Hildi / Manak E – Pair Dukh De / RDB – Giddhe Vich]


DJ THUGGIN [Da Bass Out] – Excellent track selection that is complimented by high energy and up-tempo beats. I liked the way DJ Thuggin over-looped his hip-hop samples, but at the opportune time. They fit well the songs and this is a perfect CD for the youngsters to get Crunk!

[Highlights ~ Jazzy B + Sukshinder Shinda – Romeo + Punjabi Clap Collab / KS Makhan – Billo / Sukshinder Shinda – Go Shinda / Manak E – Lakh Hilda / Juggy D – Nain Jeena / D-Unit – Kargi / Daljit Mattu – Da Captains Tipsy]


VARIOUS DJ’s [Fantasy 2005 – Ultimate Dance Club] – The title of this CD tells it all.. This is one for the clubs. All the songs have the illusion of being sped up, but basically it’s the fast, up-tempo beats that make them sound good. They did a pleasant job of taking some classics and re-mastering them for the year 2005. This is a perfect album for all of the club-goers out there.

[Highlights ~ Silinder Pardesi – Come & Dance / Lehmber Hussainpuri – Chumke Te Lehnga / Balwinder Safri – Pao Bhangra / Balkar Sidhu – Tu Meri Khand Mishri / Surjit Bindrakhia – Dupata Tera Sat Rang Da]



THE BAD


DJ ASHU [Punjabi Dance Party] – I have talked to a few people, and they’ve really liked and enjoyed this CD. But for some reason, I was never able to embrace it? I don’t know if it was some of the remixes sounded pretty basic and simple or maybe it wasn’t my cup of cha?? Either way I had to put it on the Bad list, but not for anything really wrong with the quality, but just a personal opinion.

[Highlights ~ Balkar Sidhu – Mehndi / Jazzy B – Yaari / Hans Raj Hans – Dhol Jado Waje]


DJ CRAZY V [Special Delivery] – Special Delivery, huh?? Well I want to Return to Sender, because this album and his effort was total garbage! Where in the world was he going with this one? Not only did he mess up on the Punjabi tracks he even butchered the Disney classic, “A Whole New World!”

[Highlights ~ Jazzy B - Yaari]

DJ KANG [Bhangra Hi-Fi] - What doomed this CD from the start is for one a poor song selection and the other reason is that the background Remixed in beats are too loud which drown out the vocals. I sound like a broken record [probably what he was mixing with], but if you can’t get the beat levels perfect with the CD it isn’t going to work. Plain and Simple.

[Highlights ~ None]


DJ RBS [Dub] – OK, I don’t know these guys, and they might be decent people, but one quick suggestion… When choosing a name, don’t freakin’ choose a name so close to the DJ kings RDB! Right there alone you’re not going to get any respect no matter what type of work you present. As for the CD itself, it sounds like a debut project with a couple of glimpse’s of talent, but overall it falls short. Nice try this time, but another suggestion for the next time… Please stop using 50 cent samples in all Bhangra tracks. That goes for all DJ’s. It’s getting very old and played out!

[Highlights ~ Khin Yaad Kar Kar / Lehmber Hussainpuri – Ah Ni Kuriye Remix]


DJ SCREAM [Silence] – I hate even giving you the time of day to write a few words about this album, but I want people to know how bad it is! The remixes didn’t make any sense and they were so off beat, I thought my computer had started playing two different songs at the same time… Maybe you should listen to your album title next time and stay Silent!

[Highlights ~ None]


DJ STATIC [Static X] – Ah, this was a tough one for me… There was a couple of the 27 tracks that I really liked, but overall the whole album couldn’t keep me satisfied. There was way too many hip-hop samples straight laced onto the originals without much thought as many of beats didn’t match up. I see potential with DJ Static, but next time lay off mind-numbing repetitious sampling.

[Highlights ~ Lehmber Hussainpuri – Tin Cheejan / Dhol Cuts – Pure Punjab Mix]

G3 DJ’s [Reloaded] – Wow.. .When I seen the track listing of this CD I got excited, because 11 out of the 15 tracks were by my one of my all time favorites, Lehmber Hussainpuri. Soon I was too find out I shouldn’t have exposed my ears to such disrespect to Lehmber Paji. They just destroyed some of Lehmber’s classics by putting in unnecessary hip-hop samples. I’ve heard some of G3’s other tracks and I was impressed, but this fell short. I have faith in these guys, so hopefully their next project will be a little better.

[Highlights ~ Lehmber Hussainpuri – Naina / Lehmber Hussainpuri – Put Jattan De]


PENDU CREW [Finally Released] - Quality, Quality, Quality… When making a DJ album you have to make sure the quality of the original beats along with the beats you want to over loop match and sound decent.. Anyone can put two songs together, but it takes professionals to master it. This obviously doesn’t come close.

[Highlights ~ Manak E – Virsa Punjab Da / Lehmber Hussainpuri – Gabroo Shakeen]


VARIOUS DJ’s [Fully Loaded] – Just another CD ruined by too many hip-hop samples along with the inability to mix the Beats Per Minute correctly. They did a satisfactory job of getting some nice Bhangra dance tracks, but once again the overuse of people like 50 Cent and Dr Dre left this CD lacking something.

[Highlights ~ DJ Sukhi – Raan Botal Vargi / Lehmber Hussainpuri – Tin Cheejan]