DJ Cam, also known as Laurent Daumail, is a DJ from France. His album “Mad Blunted Jazz”, released in 1996, is a two-disc set containing the two previously released albums “Underground Vibes” and “Underground Live Act”. The album can be classified as a trip hop or downtempo recording, having ambient and breakbeat influences.
“Mad Blunted Jazz” blends fat slow-paced hip hop beats with appropriately applied jazz chords, making the entire recording sound organic. The rhythmic structure can be compared to the simple east coast beats fueled by DJ Premier, Rakim and the like. “Dull” jazz riffs, airy vibraphone chords, and delicately fragmented vocals are accompanied by seductive basslines and turntable scratches.
Many of the samples are from famous jazz recordings. For example, the album’s title track features the piano from the intro part of Herbie Hancock’s “The Pleasure Is Mine”. “Suckers Never Play That” has extracted a clip from Wayne Shorter’s “Lost”.
“Mad Blunted Jazz” credits several singers. “Sang-Lien,” with its deep, dark bass loop, is voiced in French by Benedicte Pardizon, aka Ben. “Free Your Turntable And Your Scratch Will Follow” is sampled by Jeru the Damaja, an American rapper and recording artist. The tracks “Meera” and “Lost Kingdom” feature Indian vocalist Kakoli Sengupta. “God Will Know His Own” features Lady Kier from the American house and club group called Deee-Lite.
The second cd of DJ Cam’s “Mad Blunted Jazz”, which was initially released separately as “Underground Live Act”, was mixed live on November 30, 1995 at the Transmusicales De Rennes festival, and therefore has a from live club where one track transitions seamlessly to another. This live recording also includes some remixed songs from the first cd, such as “London 1995”, which is a drum and bass remix of “Underground Vibes”.
Due to the laid-back rhythms and minimal use of samples, the overall mood is mesmerizing and relaxing. “Mad Blunted Jazz” draws on a variety of influences: from the cool jazz of Miles Davis to the dreamy melodies of Eastern and Indian music. At the same time, it combines all those elements into an exquisite whole, without breaking its initial essence and flow.
DJ Cam’s “Mad Blunted Jazz” is often considered one of the first trip hop recordings, playing a part in the development of electronic music in the 1990s. While its architecture is simplistic, the hypnotic beats evoke a smooth atmosphere. and darker in color, separating the listener from anything that doesn’t follow the subtle, laid-back vibe of this old-school flavored album.