Kid Koala

Eric San is adorable. All of his side-projects since joining the Ninja camp have been just as clever and intriguing as his records, so it should be no surprise that his Some of My Best Friends Are DJs tour was dinner theatre with story-telling and bingo. This mere five-song EP captures the fun that must have been had as Kid Koala took his friends P-Love and Jester on the road to entertain the fans with several turntables on stage, each acting as an instrument. This is what many DJs have been trying to perfect over the last few years — turning 1200s into actual instruments such as horns, violins and accordions. Barging in with the heavy "Stompin at le Savoi” we get to hear Kid Koala in the hip-hop realm we’ve not heard since Scratchcratchratchatch, taking that raw blues harmonica and tearing it through a large break beat and greeted by even more furious cuts. Though a little more sleepy, the Nufonia Must Fall moments with Koala on keys and P-Love holding down the tables are quite romantic, but Jester juggling beats while constantly switching RPMs to make turntable bass is so much more impressive. Using sheer skill and lots of action on the pitch adjustment, Kid Koala and friends really capture an old theatre feeling as they manipulate jazz sounds for intimate clubs, hopping from one set of decks to the next as. It must have been quite the site to see, and you can! The CD comes along with all five performances on video, mixed in with animations of a vomiting wino’s head being bit off by a crow thanks to Koala’s artist, Monkmus. This is yet another clever and cute tidbit to add to your Kid Koala collection, and one that will make you think twice about sleeping the next time his road show rolls into town.