You Spin Me Round
DJ Spinna
Intergalactic Soul
(Shanachie)
International DJ Spinna, who can hardly contain his underground status with Das EFX, Zero 7, Mos Def, Michael Jackson, and George Michael projects under his belt, unleashes a lissome original work.
The Brooklyn native first gained exposure in 1999 with the Heavy Beats, Vol. 1 compilation on Rawkus, which featured Eminem and Talib Kweli. But instead of focusing strictly on hip-hop for Intergalactic Soul, he enforces looser synth boundaries, slinking underneath a bevy of vocalists — none of whom are superstars — ensuring most of the focus will remain on him. “Where’s Your Love,” with N’Dea Davenport (Brand New Heavies), is vintage *Dirty Mind bedroom funk, which bleeds into the ensuing “Outta Time.” Spinna’s dependence on certain sounds unmistakably retro-izes *Intergalactic, stunting the perception of him as an ambitious innovator. The liquid tones of “Peace & Quiet” straddle Paisley Park and Bristol, England, though glimpses of the future lie in “Could It Be Too Soon” until “Living My Life” returns Spinna to the dancefloor.
— Steve Forstneger
