Mike Relm — Spectacle

San Francisco DJ Mike Relm is more famous for his live show and horn-rimmed glasses than his scant recorded output, and takes a major step outside his comfort zone with this, his first non-DJ mix album.

Given his reputation (and geographical location) Relm was able to recruit some big names to drop verses over his beats. Del Tha Funky Homosapien, Mr. Lif, The Gift Of Gab and Lateef The Truth Speaker make appearances.

While these tracks are the clear highlights, nothing here comes close to surpassing the playful fun of watching him scratch the Peanuts theme live. Even the cut-up interludes, filled with scraps of television and film dialogue seem more like a token nod to his live persona and take away from the album's overall cohesion. In fact, the record feels a bit like the kind of all-star electronica records producers like the Propellerheads used to drop in the late-'90s.

Right now, Relm seems better suited to the live stage and if he's planning another record anytime soon, spending some more time in the studio crafting fresh beats would be advisable. 

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