Critic's Review
John Bush, All Music Guide
Electronica producers like the Orb had been mining the ideas of minimalist and house producers for years, and DJ Cam's fusion of jazz and hip-hop was creative and artistically successful in much the same way -- instead of Tangerine Dream or Steve Reich, substitute Ahmad Jamal or Bobby Hutcherson and Gang Starr. Cam's vision of the late-night creep encompassed lots of oddly tuneful piano or vibes samples and the type of simple East Coast beats favored by DJ Premier and the like. The American Shadow label combined his first two records, the studio Underground Vibes and the live Underground Live, to create a two-fer that's very necessary for those interested in early trip-hop. DJ Cam wasn't a crate-digger like DJ Shadow; he much preferred creating a reflective atmosphere around a chosen few samples, usually familiar. While simplistic (especially early in his career), it was often very effective, as the best tracks here illustrate. "Sang-Lien" has only vibes, a fragment of a flute line, and muted trumpet, but Cam still creates something very special with the addition of a French chanteuse. "Mad Blunted Jazz" switches it up a bit, moving between multiple drum tracks and samples. Most of these are little more than background hip-hop tracks that the average rapper wouldn't even consider rhyming over, but in the grand tradition of ambient music (from Satie to Eno), DJ Cam's productions ranked near the top.
