01 Elevator (Laidback Luke Remix)
Junior Sanchez ft Good Charlotte
I recently had the honour of taking over the decks from Laidback Luke. Yes, I’m name dropping, I know, but wouldn’t you? One of the most inspiring things about watching him play was the way in which he took control of the crowd, and threw them on an ever-rising spiral of excitement and mayhem. He had every onlooker wrapped around his finger, and he pointed that finger skyward. Now you may think I’ve become a little side-tracked here, I do have a tendency to tangentize (and make up words…) but Laidback Luke’s remix of ‘Elevator’ perfectly demonstrates in 8 minutes what Luke does throughout a set. Imagine the sound of an airplane taking off, but it never finishes taking off, it just goes up and up and up with no relief. That Is This Track. It goes eternally upwards, and you’ll have a hard time figuring out how.
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpKbnA_31dA]
02 – Where’s Your Head At (Klaas Remix)
Jean Elan
The Klaas take on this classic vocal is the first that I’ve been willing to play on my dancefloor. It retains it’s integrity with regular returns to the original, and a ‘breaks’ feel to a lot of the break downs (and the intro). Thankfully Klaas decided to go in a direction other than the ‘Infinity’ style bassline here; a sound that has really begun to bore me recently. A clever twist in the melody of the bassline half way through keeps the song from becoming a monotonous filth-fest, which I don’t normally mind, but in this case, without the melody change, the bassline could easily become a chore on your ears.
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCb8yb-S_jI]
03 – Rock The House Yo! (original mix)
Black Raw
Heebie-Jeebies this song is so funky! I just love the groove here, it’s got that ever-so-up-to-date finger clicking 16th note feel to the percussion, and the bass groove reminds me of Erick Morillo’s legendary ‘Jazz In Your Face’. My only criticism is that the vocals and the break-downs suggest that there should be more of a journey, more of a build, and with that in mind each drop should be more exciting than the last. They are to a degree, with some layered synths and some extra percussion, but I never get the feeling that it’s enough, especially if you were to compare (which you really shouldn’t!) these drops with those in ‘Jazz In Your Face’. Don’t let me put you off this tune though, it may not make it into my peak time moments, but to be compared to Morillo at all is a compliment.
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vs0SVN0SlOA]
04 – Dreaming (Hoxton Whores Remix)
Ruff Driverz presents Arrola
This tune really tugs me into the winter vibe. I know the sun has long gone, but I still get tingly feelings when I listen back to my favourite Summer tunes and think about the joys of open air clubbing! This absolute treat from the Hoxton Whores take all the feelings of Summer clubbing, screws them up into a tight ball of sunshine delight, and chucks them into the log fire of Winter warmers and long coat-check queues! It’s total transition, and if you need something to warm up your rain-soaked and chill-blained crowd, then this is it; tough, unassuming but bursting with warmth and depth, ‘Dreaming’ is the start of my Winter, and I think you should make it yours too!
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flnDknG4AsQ]
05 – Hardcore Uproar (D.O.N.S Remix)
Together
If you’ve read any of my previous reviews then you’ll know I have a real soft spot for “Retro-Electro”. Any classic from my youth that’s been twisted into something relevant to my dance-floor gives me a real buzz of delight, and ‘Hardcore Uproar’ is a perfect example. I must confess I wish they’d lost the “movie trailer” voice-over; it was too cheesy even in the original, but the breakdowns in ‘Hardcore Uproar’ will take each listener back to their own special club / rave moment, and the drops will joyfully dump you back in 2009. D.O.N.S are on fire with this remix, may there be many more.
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kd6qkMdfvWc]
