Kid Koala: 12 Bit Blues

Kid Koala has managed to pull off an interesting trick: making a blues record that feels more than blue. Canadian-born Eric San aka Kid Koala has always had a bit of an experimental streak, but with his new album '12 Bit Blues' the DJ has taken it a step further by constructing a batch of new "blues" songs entirely from original source samples, twisting and stretching and layering them to make these vintage sounds feel new and fresh.  The songs are numbered 1 through 12 "bit blues" on the album, which plays like a love letter to an entire genre not typically delved into by hip-hop & turntableist DJs.
 
The song "2 Bit Blues" has the bouncy swagger of classic John Lee Hooker, while "4 Bit Blues" could be considered "blues chopped-and-screwed" and "9 Bit Blues" is as stark and penetrating as any of the darkest of Son House's ballads. And rather than feeling like a gimmicky distraction, Kid Koala's impeccable scratches add to the tension, emotion and color of each piece, like a great blues axeman.  He becomes Albert King with a turntable, making the case that '12 Bit Blues' will be appreciated by electronic music and blues fans alike.