On Trouser Jazz, Scruff keeps his British sense of parody sharp as his production skills, channeling his vast record collection into tracks as profound as they are twisted, and bringing in the vocal skills of Seaming, Nico, and Braintax. The first song, appropriately titled "Here We Go," has a fun, late-'80s-style hiphop beat with a sax overdub, bringing me back to my days as a latchkey kid watching Yo! MTV Raps. It's followed by "Sweet Smoke," a house-tempo barnburner with a rollicking bass line and swinging Fender Rhodes melodies that make me feel like I'm dancin' on the Car Wash set. "Shelf Wobbler" comes in with a hard-stepping hiphop beat and a sinister horn loop, but just when you think the next layer will be some raw sample or freaked-out tone, a jazzy electric piano with a Casio preset quality chimes in. The album closes with the abstract Monty Python-esque "Ahoy There!" that would be at home with Sgt. Pepper.
Mr. Scruff's tight grooves and fat beats cover all things funky with a '60s and '70s organic-jazz/rare-groove vibe, tongue-in-cheek samples, and arrangements that never get too serious--although some of the tracks do get a little, well, jazz fusion-y. Mr. Scruff should have no problem delivering the goods on the decks, and we're lucky to have him out here. NICOLAE WHITE
Mr. Scruff w/DJs on Strike! featuring Johnny Kawasaki, DJ Suspence, and J-Justice,
Sat Oct 19 at I-Spy, 1921 Fifth Ave, 256-9667,
9 pm-2 am, 21+, $10.
