The DJ Food project was initially created to provide sample-ready beats, breaks, and loops for DJs. Since then, the project has produced full-length releases of original material along with the "food" for DJs on the Ninja Tune label.By Basement DJ: The Doctor
DJ Food has featured a rotating cast of DJs throughout the years, and the latest LP, The Search Engine, finds Ninja Tune mainstay Strictly Kev as the main creative force behind the record along with guests such as J.G. Thirwell of Foetus, Matt Johnson of The The, and longtime DJ Food collaborator PC. Like previous releases, The Search Engine is expertly crafted and features elements of jungle, drum n' bass, and house music. Each track is memorable in its own way. Album highlights include the chromatic bassline of "Sentinel", the second "movement" of the 11-minute "Magpie Music", and the menacing vocals of "Prey" courtesy of Australian industrial musician J.G. Thirlwell. Even non-DJs can find something to like about The Search Engine. Each track is memorable, and the album as a whole has infinite daily-life-soundtrack appeal.
Recommended if you like: Amon Tobin, Wagon Christ, Squarepusher
Focus tracks: "GIANT", "Magpie Music", "A Trick of the Ear"