Reviews of my music
“Keeping It Salty” – DJ Salty Flavor released September 26th, 2009
“DJ Salty Flavor returns with his second album ‘Keeping it Salty’ and brings us a collection of carefully crafted tracks from Chillout to Hip Hop to Trance. Soaring vocals and a thought-provoking message are all contained within these beats and bleeps…”
Brian Bennett of DeepLife Records (http://www.deepliferecords.com)
“Keeping It Salty”- DJ Salty Flavor
www.djsaltyflavor.com
Matt Bryant is a very talented electronic musician from Austin, Texas. He excels at creating crisp, infectious grooves. It is literally impossible not to move to his material. “Keeping It Salty” continues to provide us with great synth textures, killer beats and catchy melodies. While listening to this, it’s easy to see that the studio is DJ Salty Flavor’s playground, and he’s not afraid to have fun there. “Undignified” is a great opening track. It would easily be at home on any dance floor. The air of positivity on this album is also very disarming (especially evident on track titles like “Dare To Dream”). “Hot Or Cold” is also another great track, very glitchy and anthemic. It sounds like an updated version of the classic sound of Devo. Things never get predictable on this CD. DJ Salty Flavor is obviously a gifted master of the electronic beat.
Gary Flanagan – Nightwaves Reviews (http://nightwaveswebsite.tripod.com/id16.html)
“DJ Salty Flavor has done it again with this great album of remixes and dance music! His music is clearly put together with the hope of enjoyment by all who listen. Anyone looking for club style music with clean content should go immediately to this cd.”
–Sterling M. Allen, A&M United Methodist Church College Station, Texas
Dj Salty Flavor embarks a brand new adventure covering aspects of every genre with his new release “Keeping It Salty.” He embraces a sense of style that producers around the world have lacked to carry and even less often can control. With tracks such as “Supernova” and “Blip Your Body” Dj Salty Flavor shows he has real ability to put down floor fillers and drive a dance floor. Tracks such as “What You Are Doing Is Not Good” shows that Salty has a message to bring the world and can create the emotion it needs with his music. Many artists appear on DJ Salty Flavor’s new album in the form of guest appearances and remixes from the hands of Salty himself. These tracks are diverse with pop, rock, and even country influences. Watch out for DJ Salty Flavor as he proves that he is salt to the earth in new and innovative ways.
Science Drop from http://www.godsdjs.com
Blip Your Body – “One I will carry with me in my record bag and can use with almost any crowd.” – Science Drop
What You Are Doing Is Not Good – “A message the world needs to hear and as a dj I look forward to using this in times of deep, prayerful worship.” – Science Drop
Also see a helpful review here:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2395744/keeping_it_salty_short_review_of_the.html?cat=33
Album Title: Keeping It Salty
Artist: DJ Salty Flavor
Reviewers Name: M Morgan
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Title of Review: The DJ’s swift attention to detail on many of the lo-fi tracks have more impact than the rap tirades.
Review Summary: Keeping It Salty, features a fusion of lo-fi, ambient, electronic dance and trance music. There are a few rap tirades that often feel like the DJ is trying too hard.
DJ Salty Flavor’s latest album, Keeping It Salty, features a fusion of lo-fi, ambient, electronic dance and trance music. There are a few rap tirades that often feel like the DJ is trying too hard (“Help Wanted” Remix) and one that is so in your face that contagion is greater than the dislike.(“Hot or Cold” Remix). Success is greater with the lo-fi sleepy rhythms scattered throughout the album.
The world of remixes is a vast one. So making memorable ones is an even greater challenge for a DJ. It’s a balance of the track that the DJ selects along with the amount of originality put into it. If it’s a very popular track to begin with and the remix does not live up to it, then the remix might be seen as a buzz-kill. On the otherr hand if the remix puts a new spin on a universally loved track then the reinvented song may be embraced by listeners. It’s a fine line that DJs must walk when selecting their remix “patients” (or in some cases, victims).
The first track (or “patient”) on the album, is a remix called “Undignified”. This cheesy euro-techno-polka romp has a hooky chorus, goofy playful synth sounds and a piano interlude that adds a layer to the much needed single dimensioned song. The song reminds me of the one (the name eludes me) they used to play at bar mitzvah and sweet sixteens. Like someone smashing something in your face, it’s slightly jarring, and a bit too much on the ears.
The second track “Blip Your Body” sets the lo-fi tone for the rest of the album. It starts off with a dusty beat and several measures into the song starts adding beeps and blips a la 80s video games. Blip reminded me of Canadian punk-techno duo Crystal Castles latest release which featured similar bleeps and vintage video game fare. The song goes off into some hopeful corners but never quite takes off.
Two of my favorite tracks were “Mr Blister,” and “Why (Remix)”. These stand out because of the detailed treatments the DJ gives them. Blister starts off with a lone hypnotic drumbeat, morphing into a cacophonic stupor of trumpet synths. The natural flow of changes fall into place like Venga blocks. “Why” begins with a booming fuzzy guitar and pounding beat. It has unassuming orchestral flourishes and a simple melody. The bass synths lined throughout the song add a strong backdrop. Why is definitely a good party song.
Apart from the lo-fi and techno, Salty Flavor peppers up things with some rap remixes. “Hot or Cold (Remix) ” fuses hip hop and techno together making for a soupy club remix. The repetition of the line “Are ya hot. Are ya cold” was a bit irritating after awhile. Once the raps kick in DJ Salty Flavor peppers the song with clavicle-sounding percussive missives. Then by the time, the second rapper chimes in, his claps steer the song through some dance-run threads. What makes the chorus tolerable towards the end of the song is the DJ’s cool and sneaky changes. He mixes it up and makes it interesting.
“Supernova (remix)” was another one of those memorable songs. The hypnosis of the piano intro, elusive beats hidden behind silence and dodging the piano lines. The layers of synths inject more shade into the remix. Atmospheric, dramatic and spiritual, this remix had hints of optimism towards the end as the piano lifted the rest of the song to a humble conclusion. It reminded me of some of Moby’s piano electronic works, especially from his Play album.
I can recommend this album to those of you into lo-fi and funky electronic music, but would not recommend it as much for its hip-hop rap dimensions. Lovers of LCD Soundsystem might be turned off by the lack of punk-ness but those into Moby may enjoy DJ Salty’s flair for detail and ambient changes.
“Trust In The Lord”- DJ Salty Flavor
DJ Salty Flavor does a very good job of creating dancey, upbeat electronic music with Christian values. This is very reminiscent of New Order. It is positive and bright with lots of captivating electronic textures. The music is very suitable for dance clubs (especially tracks like “Hey Ashley”). While listening to this disc, I was frequently reminded of the golden era of late 80s/early 90s club music. This work is full of references to bands like The Shamen. “Deep Inside” is well produced with excellent rhythm sounds, and “No Good With Girls” is a club anthem waiting to happen. It is a very fun track that reminded me of the Robin Gibb classic “Boys Do Fall In Love”. “Outerspace Jam” is a more pensive moment, while “Just Another Day At Sonic” is hilarious! Fan of intelligent, catchy dance music should definitely check this album out.
Gary Flanagan – Nightwaves Reviews (http://nightwaveswebsite.tripod.com/id16.html)
A great album of Christian-based dance music! DJ Salty Flavor has put together some cool beats and uplifting synth-lines to produce inspiring and often epic music. Some instrumental, some vocal and even some flute creates variety and interest! (even some humourous touches!) An excellent debut album with hopefully more to come from this artist! Well done.
Brian Bennett of DeepLife Records (http://www.deepliferecords.com)
