DJ Wally & DJ Willie Ross: Mrs. Millers House
The Agriculture

Thirty collage-styled cuts of spooky breakbeat and hip-hop science from DJ Wally (Keef Destefano aka Pish Posh) adds up to the perfect Halloween soundtrack for scaring the bejesus out of unwanted visitors. Using a demented story about an equally demented Ozone Park, Queens resident (who spray-painted her house silver and her dog blue and threatened to kill trespassers who dared entry) as a springboard, turntable maestro Destefano (partnered with DJ Willie Ross) weaves countless film, television, and music samples into a ghoulish goulash of head-nod madness (like the ultra-dope “Something in Those Trees”). Add a dash of “Mamma Mia” here, a classical string passage and klezmer clarinet trill there, dress it up with an encyclopedic cross-section of voices and nightmarish noises, and then connect it all with crisp, down-tempo beats (“Close Your Weary Eyes” and “Kane's Alien Trainwreck,” among numerous others) and you might just wind up with something like Mrs. Millers House. Destefano's smart enough to know that interesting scenery alone won't do the trick so ensures a healthy share of substance (the irresistibly funky “What Dreams Are Made Of…” for example) appears amidst the haunted creaks and screams.

December 2006