Pitchfork

While DJ albums have notoriously sold poorly in the states, much of their sluggishness can be attributed to the American public's hesitancy to gravitate towards anything un-melodic. When Roni Size releases an album's worth of drum-n-bass, it takes someone who has some sort of musical understanding to get it; to realize that there doesn't have to be a sung hook line to validate the music.

Then there are the folks that realize accessibility doesn't always have to be bad. You can lump DJ Andy Smith into this category. Currently spinning with Portishead, Smith has taken time to record his version of a mix tape and tagged it The Document. This mix of rap, funk, and R+B rips and rolls unlike any mix tape left in my car by an ex- girlfriend.

According to Smith, "It was whilst on the first Portishead tour of the USA I was asked to do a show on the radio station WFNX in Boston. I said no because it was primarily a techno show but they persuaded me and I went on-- playing a mix of hip hop, funk, soundtracks-- and everyone really got into it. So much so, in fact, that it was eventually bootlegged. It was this that led to London Records approaching me to put together The Document."

And that's exactly Smith's genius. By shying away from techno and instead waking up on the pop side of the tape deck, Smith's document has instant appeal.

Starting out with beats from Portishead's Geoff Barrow, Smith slides into "How Ya Want It" by the underrated Jungle Brothers, and from there into Jeru the Damaja's "Come Clean." The tape really gains life upon the infusion of the beer- commercial classic "Funk 49." Another standout is "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay", but not the Otis Redding version. Instead, Smith digs up a '70s kitsch explosion from Peggy Lee, heavy on the synthetic funk. Smith really doesn't do much showmanship on the wheels of steel, instead flexing his muscle through his shrewd song selection.

London Records and Smith may not be doing a great job publicizing The Document, but don't let their ineptitude dissuade you. Go find it. If worse comes to worst, you can always dig out the mix tape under the passenger seat. You know the one-- the eclectic mix of Indigo Girls songs knit tightly together with Toad The Wet Sprocket and Ani DiFranco tracks. But when you get your hands on The Document, hold on tight.