DJ Jester the Filipino Fist and Quad Rod

What can one expect from a turntablist whose two musical heroes are Posdnous from De La Soul and Willie Nelson? Well, even the preconceived ideas to what Table for One sounds like probably aren’t accurate, because this is some pretty confusing but intriguing compositions from a fellow who is known to rock the ones and twos. After some ambient guitar work to start things off, Table for One delivers one of the only high-impacted structured songs with the chord organ-driven "Oh God Kill Me,” which also contains confessions as to how someone can fall in love with a girl, despite her poor taste in music. Many of the tracks on this very short record are built from answering machine messages and snipped-up dialogue, with drum machine patterns and various keyboard noises that sadly fail to hold your attention most of the time. Piano melodies such as "Corsage, No Girlfriend” are quite pretty, and the techno-esque "Without Nobody” and its Beastie Boys sample makes you sit up momentarily. In the end though, Table for One just doesn’t offer enough goods to warrant repeated listens, though we may have a winner for the finest mash-up of "In Da Club.” Jester has been representing San Antonio hip-hop for years now, and his blend of humour and skill on the decks should be enough to keep ears ready for what he might come up with next, but Table for One is just a little too emo and sensitive. Mind you, what do you expect from a record inspired by the break-ups of your close friends?