London hip hop maestro DJ Yoda is best known for his “How to Cut & Paste” mix CDs in which he set the benchmark in the cut and paste approach to hip hop turntableism and production. Taking sound bytes from his favourite songs, movies, TV shows and anything else that got in the way, Yoda created his own soundtrack. From the blatantly obvious to the seemingly obscure, Yoda has won a legion of fans for his ability to tie them all together in a collage of sound.

“The Amazing Adventures of DJ Yoda” is Yoda’s first artist album as a producer. Joining Yoda for the ride are a wide range of guests including The Jungle Brothers, Ugly Duckling, Princess Superstar, Biz Markie and Mark Hamill – yes Luke Skywalker himself! With 24 tracks, the album ranges from short skits and ideas to fully developed songs.

It is immediately apparent that Yoda has gone for a similar feel to his mix CDs with this production debut. With tongue firmly planted in cheek, it is obvious Yoda is here to have some fun. Something that’s reflected in everything from samples used to skits performed. Whilst some tracks such as the Biz Markie collaboration “Breakfast Cereal” prove a little frustrating, the benefit of short track lengths is that nothing lasts too long. Whilst “Let’s Get Old” with Princess Superstar plays out as a full length track with samples aplenty, “Duellin’ Banjos” is a tribute to the original song from Deliverance with one of the banjos replaced by Yoda on a scratching turntable and keeps to just one theme.

Unfortunately “The Amazing Adventures of DJ Yoda” doesn’t take the next step beyond his mix CDs, which were arguably genre defining. Whilst a whole lot of fun with plenty of neat ideas – for example “Brush Off” where Yoda keeps rhythm brushing his teeth. It is no less reflective of Yoda’s extraordinary abilities but is simply just a collection of ideas rather than an amazing album as a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.