MUSIC REVIEW...........!!!“Fix Your Face” is the first album from TRVS DJ AM, the result of months of collaboration between ex-Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker and DJ AM, an eminent DJ known for his brief engagement to Nicole Richie. The mixtape is a series of 15 unnamed tracks mixed by DJ AM with live drumming by Travis. It’s very reminiscent of Travis’ earlier covers of Soulja Boy’s “Crank That” and Flo Rida’s “Low” posted last year on Youtube. (Check them out—they’re highly recommended.) The album is available for free download on www.trvsdjam.com.
All arguments about whether mixing constitutes original music aside, the album is exceptionally entertaining. At first the drumming seems difficult to distinguish from the original songs, and the mixing serves mostly to transition between songs. However, after a few listens, the complexity of the album starts to come through. Travis is an incredible drummer: his contributions serve to complement and enhance the background tracks.
DJ AM’s scratching in the beginning of the first track is some of the best ever recorded, and he has a good ear for combining separate elements. Early on the mixing is mostly fragmenting and distortion, which can be entertaining but isn’t terribly interesting. (Though I am of the opinion that the opening of Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name” should never be altered in any way.) Once the album begins to hit its stride, some really wonderful combinations appear. In particular, a layering of Easy E’s “Boyz N the Hood” and Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Can’t Stop” melds their respective tempos flawlessly. The transitions throughout are impressive: there are no pauses between tracks, so the entire album is seamless.
“Fix Your Face” doesn’t have the rapid-fire changes of a Girl Talk album, nor does it have the same euphoric feeling of discovery in combining two tracks. Rather, it focuses on how tracks flow from one to the next and how the drumming highlights different portions of each sample. The album benefits from drawing on a wide range of sources, from Johnny Cash to Three 6 Mafia. The progression of samples is inspired—Lil Wayne’s “Lollipop” becomes much more ironic when battling for dominance with The Chordettes’ song of the same name. The best part of the album is when all of these elements are combined: Travis fills in The Police’s “So Lonely” with tight drum rolls and cymbal work that blend into Outkast’s “Bombs Over Baghdad.” Once the transition is complete, DJ AM brings down the tempo and deconstructs “Bombs Over Baghdad,” giving it even more gravity. While “Fix Your Face” is not one of the most innovative albums of the year, it is both enjoyable and addictive.
TRACK LIST............!!!FIX YOUR FACE 10:00 - Bill Conti - Going the Distance1:08 - West Street Mob - Ooh Baby1:52 - Johnny Cash - Ring of Fire3:06 - Eve - TambourineFIX YOUR FACE 20:00 - RUN-DMC - Sucker MC’s0:32 - ?0:59 - Rakim - It’s Been A Long Time1:25 - Dennis Edwards - Don’t Look Any Further2:15 - Public Enemy - Bring the NoiseFIX YOUR FACE 30:45 - Rage Against the Machine - Killing in the nameFIX YOUR FACE 40:00 - Jay-Z - Public Service Announcement0:42 - Beastie Boys - So Whatcha Want1:27 - ?1:36 - Eazy E - Cruisin’ In My 64FIX YOUR FACE 50:00 - Red Hot Chili Peppers - Can’t Stop1:10 - Notorious B.I.G. - JuicyFIX YOUR FACE 60:00 - ?0:20 - Michael Jackson - Rock With You1:30 - Estelle - American Boy ft. Kanye WestFIX YOUR FACE 70:00 - Daft Punk - Da Funk0:49 - Timbaland - The Way I AreFIX YOUR FACE 80:05 - ?0:33 - Jay-Z - Big Pimpin’1:00 - ?1:14 - Kid Cudi - Day And NightFIX YOUR FACE 90:00 - Stay Fly - Three 6 Mafia0:19 - Lil’ Wayne - Lollipop (0:55 - Chordettes - Lollipop)1:08 - Lil’ Wayne - Lollipop Remix (Kanye West)2:27 - Jay-Z- A Billi (A Milli Remix)FIX YOUR FACE 100:25 - Led Zeppelin Fool In The RainFIX YOUR FACE 110:00 - ?0:40 - DJ Assault - Hoe don’t cry1:03 - DJ Assault - Ass and TittiesFIX YOUR FACE 120:00 - Damian Marley - Welcome To Jamrock1:35 - Prince - Darling Nikki2:05 - The Police - So LonelyFIX YOUR FACE 130:00 - Outkast - Bombs Over Baghdad1:32 - The Outfield - Your LoveFIX YOUR FACE 140:00 - M.I.A. - Bucky Done Gun0:27 - Bill Conti - Gonna Fly Now0:32 - Wild Motherfuckers - Fuck It Up1:25 - Phil Collins - In The Air TonightFIX YOUR FACE 150:05 - Joan Jett & the Blackhearts - I Love Rock N Roll0:19 - The Notorious B.I.G. - Hypnotize1:21 - War - Low Rider1:30 - Beastie Boys - Slow Ride Slow Ride2:05 - Dramarama - Anything, Anything"CLICK DOWN IMAGE TO DOWNLOAD ALBUM"
