Dj Sid-the Apocalypze

Down tempo and lounge beat minimalism is not what someone usually expects from a Miami DJ, but DJ Sid surprises us with ambient sound clips and low fi jazz chording over solid beats that shows reservation and taste. Buttafly Tunez is a mix compilation of previous releases, and it could be the soundtrack to many things, but unfortunately as it stands as a body of work, the music's fault lies in that of most DJ output; bound to repetitive beats and lack of tempo changes. The same mellowness that makes this music work in the background keeps it there, but if it is the soundtrack to your cocktail party no one would complain, as it never strays from the laid back and lounged out feel.

3/5 Stars

Shawn Kyle
Sept. 2007

http://www.reaxmusic.com/reviews/view/dj_sid-the_apocalypze_-_buttafly_tunez_compilation-238 - REAX Magazine

Nowadays, when anyone mentions the Miami music scene we automatically conjure up images of WMC techno parties, Trick Daddy with his ‘dro in the wind, 2 Live Crew booty shots, and Craze wrecking the wheels of steel. So to say the least, it was a welcome surprise to receive DJ Sid’s recent album, Buttafly Tunez. An all-instrumental, self-produced affair, Buttafly Tunez is more reminiscent of a dubby, Funky Porcini or DJ Cam outing than anything you’d expect from Miami. Tracks like “Jazz Me” and “Lt. Uhura” feature insanely large drums with complex programming to match. “Her Name Was Sparrow” and “Your Eyez” emit a mellow, heartfelt vibe, while “First Contact” sounds like a soundtrack to tumbling forward in space. Towards the end of the disc, Sid ventures into soulful and downtempo house territory, upping the tempo but keeping the chilled vibe on lock. I personally have an affinity for jazzed out, spacey instrumentals, so each of the album’s 19 tracks went down like water. But even for the uninitiated, DJ Sid offers enough sonic variations to keep even the most ADD afflicted individual’s head bobbing.

Review by Dj Trew
April 12, 2007

http://www.groundliftmag.com/glblog/glblog.html - Groundlift Magazine

Just wanted to say Thank You so much for coming out to our store and performing for us on Friday. I really enjoyed your show, and I know
that my team really enjoyed listening to you perform as well.

Anytime you are back in Denver, we'd
love to invite you back!

J. Starry (Mgt.)
Apple Store at Cherry Creek
Denver, CO
11/2007 - Comments from J.Starry from the Apple Store

Citing influences from Public Enemy to Art of Noise to Prince, DJ Sid is a mixmaster of the highest order. Since 2005, he’s put out a string of releases, most of the instrumental variety, though Kung Fu and Sci-Fi samples are often prevalent. Sid, who has also participated in numerous mixtape releases, seems to find a theme or mood and expand on it, though the albums are anything but monotone, offering a wealth of variety. Sometimes jazzy, sometimes spacey, always funky, DJ Sid has come a long way since his DJ debut (as a party-startin’ eighth grader).

MB - Midpoint Music Festival / City Beat (2008)

These are volcanic beats. D.J. Sid-the Apocalypze is poppin! What? Check the track "Liquid Mix"...I dare you not to bob your head to this. Maybe you prefer some Hip-Hop with Dance and R&B thrown in the mix? How about some Electronic with a touch of Jazz? The vocal samples are a smooth touch, meshing with the vibes of the music seamlessly. Bring us some more D.J. Sid. This cat is keepin' it locked down and "Twilight Zizone" featuring Dj Puzzle is straight fire. Burn it up D.J....

Standout Tracks: Liquid Mix, For Peace and Love, Twilight Zizone feat. Dj Puzzle

5/5 Stars

March 2007
www.catsask.com - Catsask Music & Entertainment

DJ Sid's work is solid, tight and fine tuned. An extremely talented DJ who's been at for a long time. We chose his song "Twilight Zizone" for this April, featuring his friend DJ Puzzle.


Electronic / Dj category
April 2007

www.liveaudiomag.com - www.liveaudiomag.com

Another fledgling artis to keep an eye on is Dj Sid-the Apocalypze. Hailing from Miami, he is not aonly a Dj but a writer and musician who produces his own tracks. His musical style is a mix of lounge, house and hip hop although disco, funk, jazz and latin are also styles that float his boat!

When asked about his musical orientation he explains... "I have the ability to manipulate sounds into funky abstract beats and rhythms. i hear rhythms out of everyday sounds and see music in animate and inanimate objects."

His Dj heroes include Shadow, Krush, Spooky and Jazzy Jeff, while his music inspirations include old school classics such as Run DMC, Jam Master Jay and Public Enemy.

His latest album entitled ButtaFly Tunez, plus earlier albums and tracks can be purchased via www.myspace.com/apocalypze, www.cdbaby.com/all/djsid and iTunes. For his press kit check www.sonicbids.com/apocalylpze.

By all accounts DJ Sid is a force to be reckoned with and demonstrates great business savvy. Now is the time for him to concentrate on more collaboration work with artists that will take his music to the next level. So Puff Daddy watch your back! This guy is a music business mogul in the making with the ability to to make hits and I wish him all the best!

Ann Marie Broadhead
Summer 2007
www.newsviewslink.co.uk - www.newsviewslink.co.uk

PIXSID is an intercontinental collaboration between Sid (aka. Dj Sid-the Apocalypze) based in USA, and Pixieguts (aka. Australian vocalist Marie Craven), and Atoms Apart is their debut album, broadly downtempo hip-hop beats, trip-hop and electronica with Pixiegut’s vocals. The album also features a remix by Sheffield, UK-based electronic producer Adrian Carter and was mastered by Canadian DJ Crimson Death. Lyrics on ‘The Sea’ are by Canadian Andrei Masliev. The title is therefore very appropriate given the huge geographical distance between the collaborators but Atoms Apart conclusively demonstrates that distance is no barrier to electronic collaboration (maybe there’s a reference to quantum mechanics here?). This is an album that could only have been made in the 21st century but before I get too distracted by the process, it’s the music itself that’s the point.
There really are some great tunes on this album and Marie’s voice has a fantastic clarity that has proven in the past to work with a huge range of electronic collaborators. It has to be said though that this particular collaboration is among the best that she has ever done. DJ Sid’s electronica is firmly rooted in classic hip-hop and downtempo electronica such as Portishead and Morcheeba. Sid also successfully cultivates the classic vinyl feel so successfully evoked by artists such as DJ Shadow, whose spirit can definitely be heard here. The production is full of subtle analogue warmth, giving the music texture through imperfection and a perfectly evoked modern urban melancholy. The soulful distant horn samples on the instrumental ‘Paper Hearts’ and the vocal track ‘The Sea’ for example gain force through their previous use in this genre. The superbly deep sine melody in the intro to the smooth ‘Soft and Hard’ is another case in point. Across the whole album the instrumental elements have an instinctive depth and power which attest to DJ Sid’s talent as a composer. The solid beats are equally important to the success of this album as well as its overall sound, with a punchy hip-hop feel and some creative drum processing. I also like the use of remixes of some tracks, which helps to give the album a feeling of coherence. Adrian Carter’s remix of ‘Lullaby’ is particularly arresting as the most experimental point on the album, using vocal samples from Pixieguts as the rhythmic element under burbling acid synths. ‘Atoms Apart’ is a very solid album indeed with a deep, chilled downbeat and thoughtful feel to it – an appealing soundtrack to the concrete jungle.If I had to pick out one track it would have to be the absolutely beautiful ‘PlayWish I’, which boasts a soaring, emotive vocal melody and lyrics ‘wish I was dreaming again, wish I was in that other place’, swept along by waves of synth textures and slow beats. This track is in fact provided in two versions, ‘Wish I’ and ‘Wish I (reprise)’ and my only complaint is that given the effectiveness of the guitar introduced in the second version it definitely should be longer! I really could listen to this track again and again. Highly recommended.

PIXSID - http://pixsid.blogspot.com/
DJ Sid The Apocalypze –http://www.myspace.com/apocalypze
Pixieguts – http://pixieguts.com
- Northcape

"Atoms Apart" by PIXSID is a project that has been a year in the making; being the combination of the extraordinary talents of San Francisco based producer DJ Sid-The Apocalypze and Australian vocalist Marie Craven aka. Pixieguts. Despite the vast leagues of physical distance seperating the two, and the timespan spent producing the album, the overall sound is of something much, much more close and intimate. It is as if the two locked themselves in a studio for a few weeks surviving on stale bread and water, accompanied only by the burning passion for making music that would drive them either to insanity, or to produce a gem of an album.

The intimacy comes neither solely from Sid's lush, velvety rhythms and textures - complete with gorgeous vinyl crackle, brass sections, sounds found in nature, jazzy drums, and bass like slipping into a warm bath - nor solely from Marie's universally-acknowledged crystal clear, enchanting and seductive voice, but rather from a unique blend of the two. To me it is akin to a salad dressing of oil and vinegar. Both are good ingredients on their own with distinct uses, yet as part of the dressing you couldn't imagine one without the other.

The style they have chosen is trip-hop, or rather, the style seems to have chosen them. The album is very natural and flowing, indicating a very smooth sense of spontaneous improvisation, again as if they just walked into a studio together and music flowed forth, not heeding any rules; as if it just became what it is of its own accord. Yet in the year-long production and taking into account professional mastering by Canada's Crimson Death, every single beat and phrase sits absolutely perfectly in the mix. Constant variation and evolution keeps the listener engaged whilst retaining a strong sense of continuity. It is the attention to detail in this ever-changing scenery that elevates the album into equal steading with trip-hop legends such as Portishead and Massive Attack.

Simply put, if you want to get someone into bed put this album on. Not only for its veneer of sexy, smooth, and silky atmospherics, but for its ability to alter your mood, no matter how ratshit or anxious you feel, into warmth and comfort.

Soulful music made by masters of their craft. Intimate and close. Pure sex. - Gus Reviews / Angus Maiden