Chyke David Jones was born in Tokyo and grew up in America, Africa and Asia. He is cosmopolitan Afro-European who lives and works in Vienna. After working as a DJ, dancer
and actor he decided to start a band (The Goods) with his friend Adolfo "De Souza".
He then worked as a studio musician with Mark Berry, Alfred Winter, Lorenzo Aldino
and Stevie B. The next step for him was to finish his very promising EP "Number One"
with Harald Fendrich in 2000. This was the foundation for his highly anticipated Debut Album "Ready for the Rev".
"Ready for the Rev", CDJ asks and the people in the crowd nod. Do they really know what is
meant by "ready for the revolution"? Those were the first words the civil rights leader Stokely Carmicheal repeated over and over again when he picked up the phone. CDJ means it"s time for a peaceful revolution, a new era, a new agenda and a new way of thinking. A grassroots movement from the bottom to the top, so that all of us and not only a few can have a high quality of life, this is not necessarily meant in a material sense. It"s more like a message of hope.
One of the best kept secrets in the European hip-hop / r"n"b scene is definitely back. The album has 14 tracks altogether and it"s mature, innovative, versatile and quite smooth.
“It deals with his my relationship to society, my friends, family and my spirituality” explains CDJ.
The music is live and programmed, which means a mixture of the old and the new, while the lyrics are honest and poetic.With a great feeling for hooklines and smooth beats it covers a large spectrum of styles. Working with people from the electronic scene like Wilko Goriany, rock guitarist Roby Musenpichler, but also with New Yorker Gordon Clay aka. Nappy "G" (kruder&dorfmeister). The Canadian Blues Singer / Songwriter Lionel Lodge wrote the music to "Bad day", "The Buzz", and "Coming in there". Almost all the lyrics and song melodies were cooked up by CDJ.
The album starts with "Dreamin" - a track carried by the masterful play of Roby Musenpichler. "I think I"m dreaming! Dreaming of the world!". CDJ communicates
with deep lyrics and finesse from the bottom of his heart. He raps and sings about what he feels, honest and open using stories in his life from women, struggles and business as themes.
"Ready for the Rev" - is the title track and definitely one of the strongest. It has a classic sample in the background and a "murderous" groove. He tries to give the masses a voice. “We need to fight unit "n" do it right see the light / We"re looking for justice in Timbuktu "n" you know who is ready for the rev”.
It is a homage to all those who paid the ultimate price for freedom….
"Get the Spirit Back" - takes us back to the 60"s. It is an extremely laid back soul cut with a very positive message, a catchy melody and typical r"n"b harmonies “ cause the positive vibe I felt round me gots to come back sooner or later”, says CDJ. It"s one of those tracks that make your feet move.
"Crack the Habit" - is a melancholic song about drugs, alcohol etc and what
it can lead to. It"s something like a warning to the kids, since friends of CDJ"s have gone down the drain by taking this route.
The craziest songs on the album are definitely "The Buzz" and "Coming in there". Lionel Lodge incorporates sampled voices and sounds into the music, so that you can neither
say what they mean nor where they are coming from.
Then you have the love songs "Number One" and "69", oh so cheesy, but at the same time so romantic. All and all it"s a nice balance between melancholic songs and dance tunes.
The album "Ready for the Rev" stands out because of
it"s lyrical content, the extaordinary voice of the artist and the different styles.
