U Can't Lurn Imaginashun

DJ Vadim, a.k.a. the John Coltrane of hip hop, ain't exactly your average 'round-the-way' producer. A veteran traveller and quality purveyor of head-nodding beats, Vadim has 4 solo albums, 2 group albums ('One Self; The Isolationist'), a remix album, countless mix tapes/CDs plus EPs, remixes plus a slew of 12s and 7s under his heavyweight belt.

Needless to say, though producer/DJ's these days are a dime-a-dozen, a veteran like Vadim is not the kind o' cat to release 12 tracks of the latest in-vogue soul loop. In fact his new album, "U Can't Lurn Imaginashun" is one of the sickest joints on the block, continuing - and embellishing - the producer's inventive journey into the realm of sound. Anyone that knows anything about Vadim knows to expect the unexpected, and "UCLI" has surprises - and dopeness - in abundance. Which is extra impressive considering the last year has not been Vadim's happiest. "2008 has been the worst year of my life," he reveals. "I went through the most gut-wrenching emotions due to family trauma and personal health. My father went partially blind after having three failed cataract operations. My mother nearly lost her house in the credit crunch and ended up having anxiety attacks. My wife had a bad illness and I went blind in my left eye. I was diagnosed with eye cancer in summer and had a very precarious operation to remove it. For the first time I had to dwell on the idea of death and not being invincible. I saved my eye, got rid of the cancer and since then I have gone on to complete a new album."

Out of the negative comes the positive. And 'U Can't Lurn Imaginashun' is all about mining the deepest parts of the psyche to find inspiration. It's about how, even though we learn so much at school and live in a time of unprecedented technological prowess, imagination is the one thing you must journey deep inside yourself to find. Amidst the illness, pain and heartache, Vadim managed to tour worldwide with Fat Freddy's Drop, DJ Krush and Slick Rick. On "U Can't Lurn Imaginashun" Vadim hits every note and every colour, not just the black and white ones. Like all Vadim projects, the songs here are fresh, funky and fun. There are reggae rubs that could sit next to Desmond Dekker; neo-soul and conscious-rap jams that recall Q Tip or Jill Scott; experimental gems akin to the work of Flying Lotus or J Dilla. Mostly though it's the sound of music being embraced and loved, and of a re-inspired life being lived. If A Tribe Called Quest hadn't already used 'Beats, Rhymes & Life' as an album title, it would be equally suitable here…