Often times a chemist’s work is perceived to be tedious. The careful calculation required the precise attention to detail, where one misstep can ruin an entire experiment. It’s surely not the work of the everyday common man, and when Cut Chemist is behind the tables, he’s not your average deejay. Sound of the Police is a chemistry experiment, of Latin and African music. The work is a precise, it’s technical, and it’s successful even if it appeals to a very niche audience.
With Cut Chemist, like his work, his influences are specific. The album was inspired from Ethiopian, Sudanese, Colombian, and Afro-Brazilian music. The project’s first influence was Ethiopian military bands. It’s a very particular influence when in most Hip Hop a circle, simply stating that your material has an African influence is valued. Impressively, the project is created with one turntable, a loop pedal, a mixer, and original vinyl pressings of the music. It’s quite the experiment and one that maybe only Cut Chemist could pull off. The music, though strangely familiar, is never known to the casual listener but impressively always keeps the listener engaged. With well-timed cuts, blends that sound supernatural, and pure confidence, Cut Chemist puts forth 40 minutes of impressive work on a single turntable.
Listening to Sound of the Police, you can hear the origins of American music throughout. From the drums, to the instrumentation, the records spun demonstrate the comprehensive influences that American music drew from. Though extremely specific and often unheard musical cultures, the record is rather comprehensive. Cut Chemist is able to blend the music with complete ease. Though at the times the listener is waiting for a cut or blend for seemingly minutes, the former Jurassic 5/Ozomatli member is always in complete control. It’s a trait that should be admired but it also can draw portions of the record out.
“East Side” is the portion of the record that draws from the Sudanese and Ethiopian influences. The 20-minute mix is the highlight of the album. With the records crackling, and sounding at times distorted, Cut Chemist absolutely kills the mix. The first five minutes alone is a taste of audio heaven. To think how many layers of sound, in those five minutes that are being manipulated on one turntable loop pedal and mixer is absolutely jaw dropping. The cuts are as always, precise, and even the grandmaster’s will take time to honor the man. “West Side” is equally impressive in delivery but sonically it strays a bit further from Hip Hop than “East Side” does. At times it doesn’t connect, and it’s hard to hear the specific influences of much of Hip Hop. “Though “West Side” begins impressively as well, it at times seems drawn out. The listener finds himself waiting for the record to cut, the sound to layer, or for Cut Chemist to perform magic. There are magic moments within “West Side,” but they are much less frequent than they are on “East Side”
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Cut Chemist is a purist. From the turntable to the vinyl all the way to how he cuts up a record. He’s a master at his craft, a deejay who waits for the perfect moment to cut up a record. It’s never about showing off – it’s about perfection. It’s the reason why he can spin a track minutes longer than any other deejay would, waiting for that specific break, or bass line, or saxophone hit. He’s a perfectionist and like any perfectionist he often hears and sees his craft differently than all of us do. A perfectionist sort through records searching for that one sound, one rare find that defines a moment, which eventually defines a deejay. The record cuts, never simply because it sounded fresh, but because Cut Chemist studied the record inside and out and found the moment where his hand made the record move. Everything about Sound of the Police is intentional even if it at times will fall on unknowing ears.
