Posted on 07/06/2009
When I critique an album, I normally listen to it over and over to get a complete and thorough feel for the music, a process that can take several days. But DJ Mutamassik’s The Commo, an instrumental EP, presented a very different challenge. Both the runtime (4 songs, 13 minutes) and the artist’s abstract production style initially made the album difficult to review. So I decided to get creative with this recording, playing it frontwards, backwards, and mixing up the sequencing. Here’s what was learned: With DJ Mutamassik’s reliance on heavy drum and bass, it doesn’t matter what order in which you play songs on The Commo, because they all fall right into place. But while the album has great sequencing, the significant lack of content and lack of cross-cultural samples — a staple she is known for — are the biggest barriers to this recording’s success.

Those new to Mutamassik’s sound might find her beats too jarring, but those already familiar with her blend of Sa’aidi Hardcore and Baladi Breakbeat will respect this record. On The Commo, DJ Mutamassik is the whole show, as she plays cello, percussion and the SP1200 on this four-track player, which was recorded from her hilltop studio in Tuscany, Italy. The album begins with “5X8cell,” a slow, brooding instrumental with staggered drums and cello drifting throughout the background. Mutamassik picks up the pace on the hard-charging “dis_coercion,” which plays out like a suitable breakbeat for a neighborhood block party. “commo the rag,” with its dancehall reggae influence, sounds perfect for winding on the floor, while “commandjump!” sounds eerily familiar to the album’s opening track.

DJ Mutamassik definitely knows how to rock a beat. On Definitive Works, her full length 2005 effort, she blended Middle Eastern and Egyptian rhythms with old school hip-hop turntable scratches and drums to facilitate a seamless merging of cultures. On High Alert, another short EP, Mutamassik mixed soul into her musical pot luck to further expand the horizon. But on The Commo, Mutamassik takes a slight step backward, as the production comes off a little rough. And while she gives fans another taste of her culture, this morsel probably won’t be enough to satisfy their appetites.

- Marcus Moore