A Terrifying World

DJ Vadim is a globetrotting producer; born in the USSR, raised in London, and presently residing in New York and Berlin.  His dozen new tracks on BBE Records mash together hip-hop, reggae, world fusion, house, and other electronic elements. Don’t Be Scared aims to bring listeners into uncharted realms without boarders and nameless cultures.

Don’t Be Scared begins with a short description of the various applications of sound, introducing “Hide n’ Seek”, a minimal drum-and-chime centric song with repetitive, high pitch chants from the Far East. “I’m Feeling You” is made up of simple and sparse precisions reminiscent of an uninspired Beats Antique, and the Usher-esque R&B vocals of Gregory Blackman. Vadim’s “This DJ” gives his usual, imported style a rest to make way for some domestic dubstep and raga-tone, comfortably paired with the rapping of J-Man. Vadim maintains the Indian, Middle Eastern, and world music influences with Kirtan inspired chanting well throughout the remainder of Don’t Be Scared, saturating the album with almost systematic music production.

While his resume may be expansive, having played in over 60 countries and working with hundreds of well known artists, DJ Vadim strives to produce esoteric, genre blending beats on Don’t Be Scared with more musical emphasis on experimentation rather than the qualitative aspects. As a result, the album does not come off as particularly engaging and is surprisingly underwhelming. Although long time fans may find value in the new aural territory tread, for anyone who may be considering picking up Don’t Be Scared as their first DJ Vadim album, you may want to start elsewhere.