DJ Yoda - From Nite - New LP

Format: New LP Label: Lewis Recordings Cat. No. LEWIS112LP Barcode: 804076052013 Released: 18/11/2022

Black vinyl

Dressed in a powder blue suit with the frilly shirt to match, DJ Yoda invites you to be his +1 for Prom Nite, his new album promising retro Americana full of daydreaming reverie, international megastar guests, trip hop acknowledging the likes of Morcheeba and Nightmares on Wax, and the turntable extraordinaire’s bread and butter of cuts, beats and rhymes.

Certainly no stranger to retro sounds having famously peppered his DJ and AV sets with the
unexpected the world over, and his ‘How to Cut n Paste’ mix series going all the way back to
the 30s, Yoda’s harp-laden puppy love vibe spreads from the sweet and mellow sound of
2019’s ‘Home Cooking’, an album described as ‘boundary-breaking’ by Mojo upon slotting
nicely into the UK’s blooming jazz canon. Think deliciously harmonised doo-wop murmuring
‘Goodnight Sweetheart’ with an eye for dreamboats en route to Makeout Point – on ‘My
Energy’, Eva Lazarus takes the form of an earth angel, with Yoda on jukebox cut-ups, taking
it back to starry-eyed, clean cut days of wonder (or more recently, Little Mix’s ‘Love Me Like
You’).

Beginning enigmatically with the assistance of Hollywood A-lister (and former next-door
neighbour) Lily James, ‘Breathe’ demonstrate Yoda’s continued evolution as a musician (not
to mention shrewd decision maker), with James’ vocal confidence - a little Lana del Rey to
her breathiness - returning on the velvet-smooth ‘Airplane Mode’. It’s a smartly executed
soundclash accentuated by LA rapper Choosey, the star of the album’s straightest hip-hop
shooter ‘Harder I Rock’. Homeboy Sandman adds some kick to the prom punch with typical
wordplay sent down ‘Coconut Grove’, and Liam Bailey is perfectly cast for the darkly
cinematic sway of ‘Don’t Even Try It’.

On an album of many talking points, the LP’s crowning glory is opening single ‘Feel Like
Home’: featuring the vocal comforts of the House Gospel Choir, it’s your go–to pick-me-up
when the chips are down, targeting the hairs on the backs of necks like a softer focus
version of Jamie xx’s ‘Loud Places’. Extended into an alternative, equally uplifting form by
Beardyman’s ‘Don’t Mean Thing’, summer festival season already has its homecoming
anthem.

With tongues wagging, the twists and turns step away from Heartbreak Ridge when O Love
tucks into the mouthwatering shopping list funk of ‘Way Home’; and ‘Lesson 1956’, featuring
Jamie Cullum and DJ Woody, jauntily pays homage to classic Cut Chemist alchemy, Yoda’s
celebrated turntable tomfoolery back in full effect and extending the flavours found in ‘Home
Cooking’.

Again maximising the experience and enjoyment gained from recording live instruments and
prioritising songs over beats, Yoda continues to progress with a mixture of risk-taking, elite
musicianship, nostalgia brought bang up to date, and ultimately, good clean fun capable of
stirring your soul, making ‘Prom Nite’ a date to remember.

Magpie artwork supplied by London’s Endless, whose signature style has tagged Liberty
and Lagerfeld as but two high profile clients, Yoda again maximises the experience and
enjoyment gained from recording live instruments and prioritising songs over beats. His
continued progress mixes risk-taking, elite musicianship, nostalgia brought bang up to date,
and ultimately, good clean fun capable of stirring your soul, making Prom Nite a date to
remember.