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Last Review Posted by eddiek - posted: 22 April 08 21:16

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Considered to be one of NYC's finest dj's, this recent offering from US dance label Tommy Boy records showcases the undeniable mixing talents of Abel Aguilera over a two disc set. Opening with the rather grand Intro, the pace quickens with the tribal rhythms of Drew Tribe's Bitch & Beats, and sets the tome for the first few tracks on the first disc - no screaming diva-fest this! Raffe-Lo's Watuski follows more of a carnival beat. Tin drums and horns abound and you can imagine the crowds going mad to it at Rio Carnival. It therefore comes as no surprise that Allegria hold a New Year party in Rio every year - it must be quite an experience! :ThumbsUpBlue::ThumbsUpBlue: If minimal-tech is your preference then Chus and Ceballos' Go on is going to get your juices flowing; it's about as minimal as it comes. There are occasional surprises as well. For example, Leana's Pack your bags is a melodic vocal housey number in the style of Amber / Donna Summer, whilst La Lupe's Besito par ti is quite simply mad! Bob Sinclair's recent Together is also there, although it's in the less commercial Friscia & Lamboy mix, in keeping with the style of the album. The second disc is entitled The After Sunrise session, by which time the party is well and truly in full swing and the pupils are dilated (from too much Red Bull obviously!). Ultra Nate's Give it all you got is an upbeat electro number, more dirty and funky than her famous 90's hits. Anane's club hit Walking on thin ice also appears, but sadly it's in the dire Louie Vegas mix, which does it no favours whatsoever. I found disc two to be somewhat disappointing, with only a few standout tracks. The rest merged into a rather bland mush. Karen Young's Hot shot was a welcome inclusion, and if you like this then the recent Wayne G and Porl Young mix should also delight your ears. Ending with a couple of house classics by Frankie Knuckles and The Freemasons' cover of 808 State's Pacific does improve the collection slightly, but only just. In all, not bad, but not great. Really one where only the dance floor can do it justice. Rating: 6

Product Details: "Alegria Universo" by scene-OUT.com - posted: 4 March 08 - Rating: 6.00

Last Review Posted by DJmach1 - posted: 13 April 08 18:05

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'Specialize in Love' was one of my first records back in the days when needles were used for more than just stitching a hole in your pants. I, amongst thousands of others, played this song so many times I could probably sing it backwards to you but I will spare you. This was the tune of '82 that was spilling out of every open window nationwide. If you didn't have this in your collection then you were quite frankly nobody! So can this track have the same impact 25 years later? Many have tried and made barely a scratch on the vinyl surface over the decades. Dan Mckie made a brave decision taken this one on but I have to say, it was a risk worth taking. Dan cleverly and wisely decided that interfering with such a classic would have been futile and therefore decided to retain the core sound of the original. Yes it has its 'fluffy' elements and yes it can come across slightly dated but this is the charm of the track in its entirety. What is even more complimentary is that vocalist Andrew Taylor sticks with the original Sharon Redd melody proofing that this record was made with the sensitivity, awareness and respect that this true club classic original deserves. So can this track have the same impact? Yes, I believe this track has the ability to slowly absorb itself on to dancefloors, it will find itself on every compilation going and most certainly radio stations will be playing this from morning till night, why? Because its funky soulful house at its best, it works and its a classic that deserves at least one more airing before being put back to rest for what maybe another lonely 25 years! Rating: 9

Product Details: "McKie & Taylor - Specialize In Love" by scene-OUT.com - posted: 13 April 08 - Rating: 9.00

Last Review Posted by eddiek - posted: 13 April 08 18:01

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Now this is more like it! Canvey Island's finest dance label continues to impress with this "hands in the air summer" dance anthem which will no doubt find it's way onto a million dancefloors and compilations over the next few months. Cleverly retaining the original lyrics from Sharon Brown's 1982 club smash (was it really that long?!!) it's now been re-vocalled and brought bang up to date. The club mix has you wanting to dance from the moment it begins, especially the tinkling, echoing keyboards which give the track a quite unique feel - a huge plus point when so many dance tracks sound the same. The dub mix is longer and more aimed at the super trendy "we don't like vocals" clubs. Interestingly, i-tunes describes the club mix as house and the dub mix as hard house, which it clearly isn't. God knows what they'd make of the Bonkers! compilations then!! With any luck this track will give Blue Dove Records the huge hit they need and deserve. Rating: 9

Product Details: "McKie & Taylor - Specialize In Love" by scene-OUT.com - posted: 13 April 08 - Rating: 9.00

Last Review Posted by eddiek - posted: 13 April 08 17:53

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Hot on the heels of their "We are rockstars" single comes the debut album from this motley crew. After the madness that was the debut single it was quite a pleasant surprise to find that the album is not quite the offensive epic you'd imagine it to be. First track "Battle Royale" is quite a low-key, plodding electro number with the obligatory bleeps and squelches - inoffensive and a little bland. However, things start to heat up somewhat with the second track "With a heavy heart" which packs a powerful punch, especially the breakdown and subsequent build up. "Dawn of the dead" is almost Killers-ish - a more downtempo melodic song, almost out of character from the other tracks and a welcome change. As far as the rest goes, there's no way I couldn't mention "Attack of the 60 ft lesbian octopus". B52's and early Blondie influences feature heavily here and the whole thing is very Rock Lobster and good fun. Quite why the octopus should be a lesbian though is anyone's guess... There are a couple of duff tracks ("Let's make out" is bland and "Weird science" gets caught up in it's own cleverness) but redemption comes in the form of the closing "Epic last song" which is again more pop than noise. Whilst not without it's obvious flaws there are a few potential singles on this album which should ensure the band a wider audience, especially with the summer festival season coming up. Rating: 6

Product Details: "Does It Offend You, Yeah? - You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself I" by scene-OUT.com - posted: 13 April 08 - Rating: 6.00

Last Review Posted by eddiek - posted: 13 April 08 17:46

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There's nothing like a bit of German thrash metal cum funk to liven up your Thursday morning and Berlin based label Ever Records' latest offering provides just that. "Modern Drummer" is like Rammstein meets Linkin Park via early Spandau with a touch of Pink Floyd (circa their "Wall" era) thrown in for luck. Intricate electric guitar melodies and clever percussion backing are complemented, if that is the correct word, by an unintelligible vocal which is far too low down in the mix to make itself understood. Musically it's not bad - there is certainly a tune and it's well arranged and produced - but it does sound dated already. Whilst I can imagine this racing up the German Top 100, it doesn't really stand out enough to set the UK charts alight. Of the two versions the Radio Edit is the best because it ends sooner. Enough said. Rating: 5

Product Details: "Ungdomskulen - Modern Drummer" by scene-OUT.com - posted: 13 April 08 - Rating: 5.00

Last Review Posted by eddiek - posted: 13 April 08 17:33

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Oh my goodness - weird song alert! What drugs are these guys on? I want some!! A little like watching Doctor Who on acid, this quite bizarre little ditty could potentially make you feel quite nauseous. The whole thing is like a modern day Sparks - had they had the technology back in the 70's then this is the sort of record they would be making. The slightly out of time synths and falsetto vocals really do sound like an early Sparks outtake. After frightening the cat with the first two tracks, the third track (Matthias Gathering) was equally odd but better - very 1981 Human League b-side. Unashamedly utilizing analogue synths it's a pleasant enough instrumental and offers a welcome respite from the main track. I especially loved the bridge passage - quite spectacular keyboards. Track 4 is the best mix of the single (and it's most unpretentiously named the "Primary 1's love letter to Metronomy" mix) - the annoying synths are way down in the mix and it's almost danceable. Just a shame that at 2 minutes it's also the shortest. Final mix - the Maton Retromix - was far too fast (146 bpm) and cluttered to take seriously and was the musical equivalent of a cottage pie - let's throw everything in, hope for the best, and top it with cheese. Yuk. Whilst it's obvious that alot of work and effort has gone into this little package, the whole thing suffers from a little too much self-indulgence. Yes it's clever and yes, in places, it's fun, but as to who would actually buy it, well, that's another thing entirely... Rating: 5

Product Details: "Metronomy - My Heart Rate Rapid" by scene-OUT.com - posted: 13 April 08 - Rating: 5.00

Last Review Posted by eddiek - posted: 10 April 08 10:28

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Small but creative dance label Blue Dove Records are firing out releases at a rate of knots at the moment, and whilst I haven't been enamoured with all of them (the recent Zentribe single for example) this one is quite different. Although already a few months old it's only recently come to my attention, and definitely worth another mention. Of the three mixes included on the promo, the Anthem Mix is very appropriately titled and wouldn't sound out of place on any dancefloor. It's well produced, sung and the backing vocals especially are superb. Whilst the lyrics are hardly earth shattering or though provoking I guess they're not meant to be - this is one to dance to, not to analyse!! The dub mix is slightly harder, more electro, with a drum beat reminiscent of a speeded up De'Lacy's Hideaway. For all that it's a dub, it actually features all of the vocals, so not a true dub then. Probably more of a main set filler than a warm up track it builds and breaks nicely. The very long breakdown in the middle, complete with some rather ambitious electronic noises leads to a heightened sense of anticipation - "Bring the beat back!" as The KLF would say. :ThumbsUpBlue::ThumbsUpBlue: With more releases scheduled imminently it looks like Blue Dove Records are on the right track. Rating: 7

Product Details: "After 6 - Salvation" by scene-OUT.com - posted: 23 July 07 - Rating: 8.50

Last Review Posted by Sam Giles - posted: 6 April 08 19:29

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A great little sampler which is mixed. Their three disc version (which is the main release) came out a few weeks after this. Unfortunately - for me - it's unmixed. For DJ's it's great - you can get all these tunes in their full 12" mix too to use on dancefloors (Cat:FIANCD10). I love the Rio De Jeneiro track - it's so upbeat. Its true funky house, quite commercial and does the job well. Don't bother with three disc set unless you're a DJ - this has all the gems. Great stuff... another sampler and five more comps to come this year according to the sleeve. Available at hmv.co.uk for a respectable £4.99 including delivery (CAT:FIANCDSAMP2).

Product Details: "Fierce Angel - A Little Fierce 2" by scene-OUT.com - posted: 31 March 08 - Rating: 10.00

Last Review Posted by DJmach1 - posted: 6 April 08 12:35

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‘A Little Fierce II’ self proclaims to have returned bigger, better and a whole lot sexier in 2008. What it failed to mention was that it had dropped one of those blue diamond shaped pills to help it along! Nothing wrong with a little assistance (apparently) I might add. So after all the proclamation, blue pills and naughty innuendos, does the album leave you satisfied and wanting more? Well looking down the track listing, how could it do anything but that? Therein contains a collection of the best and most recent floor fillers that the lesser and the most discerning clubber will no doubt recognise more so than his/her duvet?. As expected Mark Doyle does a fine job compiling the tracks so all you have to worry about is deciding which ones are your favourites? Personally, post foreplay and a little teasing, my ‘blue pill’ twitches arrive on the ever so funky Marco Denmarks Tiny Dancer. Vertical stirrings occur by Elek-tro Junkies ‘Don’t Hold Back On Me’ and then I just explode by the time Wideboys Bomb the Secret comes around. PHEW!!! Well I don’t know about you mister ‘Little Fierce II’ but I’m ready for round 2. All are welcome to come and join us but be warned, this album is highly addictive. Don't put it on if you think you lack the willpower to switch it off! Rating: 10

Product Details: "Fierce Angel - A Little Fierce 2" by scene-OUT.com - posted: 31 March 08 - Rating: 10.00

Last Review Posted by DJmach1 - posted: 5 April 08 14:00

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Another HedKandi CD. Didn’t they just release one er yesterday? Oh well, nothing wrong with having another 45 tracks added to your music collection. So on to the CD itself: Loads of tracks you will undoubtedly recognise? Some good old classics, some not so good and of course some ‘what on earth were you thinking digging this out of the Woolworth 10p bargain bucket’? You will see what I mean by this on disc 3 when it starts out with some beautiful classic soulful tunes. You almost feel you have found the pearl within the oyster until quite suddenly early 90’s rap crap appears all over this disc like a rash around the nether regions! Where the hell did that come from? Why HedKandi didn’t you just go ahead and provide a chalk board complete with a set of false nails with disc 3 remains a mystery? Anyhow onwards and er whats the direction suppose to be? oh yes. downwards. Disc 1 & 2 fairs much better than 3 but alas, I feel that this album is relying on the HedKandi name to sell itself. I don’t believe the track selection is up to a quality standard and, those selected, are not compiled to the best of its ability. Its variation becomes disturbing enough for you to keep hitting the ‘next’ button. I personally did not feel the ‘love’ on this ‘Back To Love’ CD. Something has certainly gone amiss down at HK HQ. My tip of the day: How to make the perfect Hedkandi CD in 3 easy steps: 1. Take Hedkandi 'Back to Love' CD and upload to your hard drive. 2. Delete all tracks not suitable for the human ear. 3. Download remaining tracks to your preferred player Now you should have an enjoyable listening experience. Rating: 5

Product Details: "Hed Kandi - Back To Love - The Mix & Deluxe Edition" by scene-OUT.com - posted: 31 March 08 - Rating: 5.00

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