Volumes 4 and 5 of the Jazz Brakes series, co-created with DJ / producer PC transcend the breakbeat compilation format to stand as artist albums in their own right. The later DJ Food albums have developed with shades of Latin, dub, techno, ambient, and Jungle flavouring the funk.
The 1995 album, A Recipe For Disaster was a conscious move away from the Jazz Brakes volumes to form more of an identity as an artist, and a remix album of tracks from all 6 LPs, entitled Refried Food was released the following year. Their last release, Kaleidoscope, featured guest artists including Bundy K. Brown (formerly of Tortoise, Directions in Music, Pullman) and voiceover artist and jazz poet, Ken Nordine).
With a seemingly single DJ name, it is often wrongly assumed that DJ Food is single person. In fact, a whole host of DJs, producers and musicians have performed under the name, so the evolutionary nature of the DJ Food sound comes as no surprise. Matt Black and Jonathan More (aka Coldcut) were responsible for starting Jazz Brakes series in the early 90s. Along the way they met Patrick Carpenter, who, being listed on the liner notes simply by his initials, was often mistakenly thought to be a Personal computer. A loose collaborative team began to form as more like-minded people arrived at the party, including Paul Brook, Paul Rabiger, Strictly Kev and Issac Elliston.
Although keeping their hand in as DJs on the albums, Matt & Jon couldn't perform DJ sets twice in one night under both aliases of Coldcut & DJ Food, so they handed the mantle of live DJing over to PC and Strictly Kev. Later, PC became so busy with The Cinematic Orchestra that he decided to quit, at least temporarily leaving DJ Food as a Strictly Kev solo project.
In addition to The Cinematic Orchestra, PC also recorded with J. Swinscoe under the band name Neptune. Strictly Kev has recorded under the name Flexus.
Album Discography
* Jazz Brakes Vol. 1 (Oct 1990, Cat No. ZENCD 001)
* Jazz Brakes Vol. 2 (Sep 1991, Cat No. ZENCD 002)
* Jazz Brakes Vol. 3 (Jul 1992, Cat No. ZENCD 003)
* Jazz Brakes Vol. 4 (Jun 1993, Cat No. ZENCD 006)
* Jazz Brakes Vol. 5 (Oct 1994, Cat No. ZENCD 010)
* A Recipe For Disaster (Oct 1995, Cat No. ZENCD 020)
* Refried Food (remix album) (Jan 1996, ZENCD 021)
* Kaleidoscope (Apr 2000, Cat No. ZENCD 047)
* Quadraplex EP (Febr 2001, Cat No. ZENCDS 091)
* One Man's Weird is Another Man's World EP (July 2009, Cat No. ZEN232)
* The Shape Of Things That Hum EP (Dec 2009, Cat No. ZEN252)
Refried Food was re-released in 2003 as a double CD, with additional remixes.
DJ Mix albums
Quadraplex was recorded on the same session as Kaleidoscope and is it's accompanying EP.
* Blech II: Blechsdottir (1996, released on Rough Trade in Germany, Cat No. RTD 126.3175.2)
Mixed by PC and Strictly Kev.
* Plastic Apple (Oct 1996, released on Aura Surround Sounds, Cat No. SUCD 005)
Disc 1: a 56 minute mix by DJ Food. Discs 2 & 3 are by the artist MLO
* ColdKrushCuts (Feb 1997, Ninja Tune, Cat No. ZENCD 026)
A mix album collaboration between Coldcut, DJ Krush and DJ Food
* Solid Steel Presents DJ Food & DK: Now, Listen! (October 2001, Cat No. ZENCD055)
Mix album for Ninja Tune's Solid Steel mix series, with producer, DK.
* Various - Raiding The 20th Century - Words & Music Expansion (Jan 2005, Ninja Tune, Catalog No. none)
Originally aired January 18th, 2004 by Strictly Kev on XFM's The Remix show in London, Raiding the 20th Century is an attempt to catalogue the history of cut up music - be it avant garde tape manipulation, turntable megamixes or bastard pop mash ups.
Shortly after he had played it, Strictly Kev read Paul Morley's Words & Music and was amazed how certain chapters mirrored parts of his mix. Apart from the fact that the title, Raiding the 20th Century, was coined by Morley 20 years before for a future Art of Noise project, he also featured Alvin Lucier, who - purely by chance - was sampled on the opening track of the mix.
Kev thus decided to expand his idea and make it a defnitive document on cut up music, including many other parts formerly omitted by the constraints of the original radio session. After months of research, he tracked Morley down and they recorded passages from Words & Music specially for the mix in an attempt to marry the two and finish something that neither of them actually started. A year to the day of the original airing, the newly expanded version was ready, gathering 167 tracks in a 59 minutes long DJ mix.
*DJ Food & DK - Now Listen Again (Ninja Tune ZENCD123, 2007-04-02)
Solid Steel mix album.
(2) DJ Food is a collaborative project between Coldcut/Ninja Tune duo Matt Black and Jonathan More, and second-half PC (born Patrick Carpenter) and Strictly Kev (Kevin Foakes). Although the moniker originally referred only to Black and More's several-volumed series of stripped-down breaks records designed for deck use (i.e., "food" for DJs), club booking demands for the assumedly proper-named DJ Food dictated the pair make an ongoing project of it. Adding PC and Strictly to spice things up (and differentiate DJ Food from Coldcut when they played the same bill), the quartet released a series of 12" singles in various combinations starting in 1994 (including "Freedom"/"Consciousness"), with their proper debut full-length, A Recipe for Disaster, appearing the following year. The quartet also toured Europe, Canada, and America as DJ Food (mainly DJing) and regularly mashed it up side by side on Coldcut's weekly KISS FM show Solid Steel. PC and Strictly were also hired by Warp Records to compile and mix a series of releases entitled Blech, drawing from the influential experimental techno label's back catalog. More and Black continued to split their time between DJ Food and Coldcut, as well as the day-to-day operation of their immensely popular Ninja Tune and Ntone labels. DJ Food's second production album, Kaleidoscope, appeared in April of 2000 to warm reviews. A year later, the pair inaugurated a Solid Steel CD series with the mix album Now, Listen! The years that followed found More and Black contributing less thanks to their Coldcut obligations, while PC would find success with his Cinematic Orchestra project, so much so that he resigned as a full-time member. Strictly Kev revived the project in 2011 and released The Search Engine in 2012. PC would make an appearance, joining J.G. Thirlwell and The The's Matt Johnson on the album's long guest list. ~ Sean Cooper, Rovi
Poison Dart
DJ Food Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah!
Weh me say! mesay
It’s all about the bug and about the warrior queen
Do you know what a mean
Rock and come in mek me tell you wha me mean
All about the bug and all about warrior queen
So me come fi chat me come fi nice up you scene
Through me na sling no gun,a boy think sey me soft
But me a real poison dart!
Through me na sling no gun a gal think sey me soft
But me a real poison dart!
Through me na sling no gun, but a smart the warrior
Smart
Ca me a real poison dart!
As a real ‘ol warrior,me no ramp fi pop off
But me a ‘ol poison dart!
Top shotta,tell some idiot bwoy the warriorqueen a top
Shotta,me no,itch,me no miss,me no ramp fi press the
Trigger
Anything ina me way that must get kinover,idiot bwoy
Just gwan go hold you corner,bwoy see me tool and
A it him after,hail warrior queen ,me a come check
Later,all deh pon im mind a me tool im a com fa
Fly high fly low
Through me sling no gun a bwoy think sey me soft
But me a real poison dart!
Through me nah sling no gun a gal think sey me soft
But me a real poison dart!
Through me nah sling no gun,but a smart the warrior
Smart
Ca me a real poison dart!
As a real ‘ol warrior me no ramp fi pop off
But me a ‘ol poison dart!
Through me nah sling no gun,a bwoy think sey me soft
But me a real poison dart!
Through me nah sling no gun a gal think sey me soft
But me a real poison dart!
Through me nah sling no gun but a smart the warrior
Smart
Ca me a real poison dart!
As a real ‘ol warrior me no ramp fi pop off
But me a ‘ol poison dart!
When me a bus it up a bus it up me mek bwoys knee
Wobble
Me no walk with me tool it put me ina trouble
Me bus me gun pon rapid it no bus single
Bwoy a dance to me bass,middle and me trebble
Me no back,me no if me no cater,na mek no fool bwoy
Come tun me over
Fore im approach im afi think it over
Flex too kool im afi study me behavior
Through me na sling no gun a bwoy think sey me soft
But me a real poison dart!
Through me na sling no gun a gal think sey me soft
But me a real poison dart!
Through me nah sling no gun,but a smart the warrior
Smart
Ca me a real poison dart!
As a real ‘ol warrior me no ramp fi pop off
But me a ‘ol poison dart!
The lyrics of DJ Food's song, Poison Dart, emphasize the power of the warrior queen and her association with the bug - the poison dart. The song opens with a warning to not test the queen, who is described as a warrior, and the lyrics explain that even though she does not carry a gun, she is a real poison dart. The queen is confident in her abilities to take down anyone in her way, and she does not need a weapon to do so. The song talks about how people underestimate her because of her soft exterior, but she is a formidable opponent. She is described as a top shotta, who doesn't miss and doesn't hesitate to pull the trigger if her life is threatened.
The lyrics of Poison Dart show how women can be powerful and strong without masculine traits. The queen is revered and respected for her intelligence and her command of her craft. The song also reinforces the message that judging a book by its cover is not always wise, and that true strength comes from within. The lyrics use Jamaican Patois, which adds a layer of authenticity to the message of empowerment and underscores the importance of recognizing strength and value in all cultures.
Line by Line Meaning
Do nuh test
Don't try me or test my limits
Yeah!
Acknowledgement or affirmation
Weh me say! mesay
What I'm saying is important, listen up
It’s all about the bug and about the warrior queen
The focus is on the bug and the warrior queen
Do you know what a mean
Do you understand what I'm saying?
Rock and come in mek me tell you wha me mean
Listen up and I'll explain in more detail
So me come fi chat me come fi nice up you scene
I'm here to talk and improve the atmosphere
Through me na sling no gun,a boy think sey me soft
Just because I don't use a gun doesn't mean I'm weak
But me a real poison dart!
I'm dangerous and skilled just like a poison dart
Through me na sling no gun a gal think sey me soft
Just because I don't use a gun doesn't mean I'm soft
Through me na sling no gun, but a smart the warrior Smart
Ca me a real poison dart!
I'm smart and skilled, making me a dangerous opponent
As a real ‘ol warrior,me no ramp fi pop off
As a seasoned warrior, I don't act recklessly
But me a ‘ol poison dart!
But I'm still a dangerous and skilled opponent
Top shotta,tell some idiot bwoy the warriorqueen a top Shotta
Let the top shooter know that the warrior queen is in charge
Me no,itch,me no miss,me no ramp fi press the Trigger
I'm precise and efficient, not prone to mistakes or reckless behavior
Anything ina me way that must get kinover,idiot bwoy Just gwan go hold you corner,bwoy see me tool and A it him after,hail warrior queen ,me a come check Later,all deh pon im mind a me tool im a com fa Fly high fly low
Anyone who gets in my way will be taken down, so stay out of my path. I'm here to check on things and make sure everything is under control
When me a bus it up a bus it up me mek bwoys knee Wobble
I'm a force to be reckoned with, and I can easily make my opponents lose their footing
Me no walk with me tool it put me ina trouble
I don't carry a weapon unless absolutely necessary, as it can lead to trouble
Me bus me gun pon rapid it no bus single
If I need to use my gun, I'll use it repeatedly and efficiently
Bwoy a dance to me bass,middle and me trebble
My actions and behavior can have a profound impact on others
Me no back,me no if me no cater,na mek no fool bwoy Come tun me over Fore im approach im afi think it over
I won't back down or cater to anyone, and anyone who tries to take me down will have to think carefully first
Flex too kool im afi study me behavior
People are always observing and analyzing me, but I remain calm under pressure
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: ANNETTE JEAN MARIE HENRY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind