Since Scratchappyland Kid Koala has proven to be the left side of the scratch world's brain. His tenacity for creative projects that push the boundaries of what turntablism can do seems to be undying. The Short Attention Span Audio Theatre Tour and its accompanying CD and DVD release brought a unique and individual vision to DJing, live shows and the audience's experience while reaching beyond the boundaries of two turntables and a mixer. For what seems to be his 8th full length effort (9th maybe?) Eric San revisits his adolescent desire to own the corner piece of hip hop production, the E-mu SP-1200. It was out of reach for him as a kid, but now that he has made it to his thirties he was able to get his hands on one. Hip hop production has moved on from the days of 12 bit sampling so the ever innovative DJ tried a different approach with the machine. Instead of banging out beats and loops he turned to the blues as his source of inspiration. He played the samples out in real time and then added cuts and scratches of the top. The result is 12 Bit Blues, an album of raw and funky blues that sounds a whole lot better than the sum of its parts. There's a grittiness to the whole affair that helps tie it all together. Koala's composition is on point with no track overstaying its welcome. He takes his roots in jazz back to where it started, the blues. Double LP in gatefold sleeve includes booklet and cutout domino set.

• music label: Ninja Tune 2012

reviewed by Doctor Slone 10/2012