As well as being one of the ablest solo turntablistis to grace a set of 1200s, Cut Chemist was also a member of daisy age rappers Jurassic 5 and the Latin brigade Ozomatli. Inspired by Double D & Steinski’s epochal Payback mixes, and later the work continued by Coldcut and DJ Shadow, Cut Chemist went on to grace the decks on the latter’s acclaimed bootlegged mix tapes “Brain Freeze” and “Product Placement”. “The Audience’s Listening” is very much in keeping with those seminal hip-hop collage masterpieces, but replacing the pricey-to-clear samples with self-contained beats, percussive loops and quirky ’50s infomercial-like vocals. It’s not all created in the Chemist’s lab, as loops and vocal snippets from Parliament (on “What’s The Altitude”), Eric B & Rakim (“Storm”) and Astrud Gilberto (“The Garden”) attest. Despite being rich in kaleidoscopic beats, lush cinematic soundscapes and sonic textures, this is still a fairly disconcerted record that requires repeat plays to be fully appreciated.
3 Out Of 5
Reviewed By: Lewis Dene
