Thu. April 9, 2009
By DJ Plez
No Defects In This House
For those who love and appreciate house music - and that should be all of you IMO - be on the lookout and definitely pick up Defected Records latest release in their popular In The House series. Subtitled "Miami 2009" - in conjunction with the annual Winter Music Conference that was recently held down there - the release has a Poolside mix (CD1) by Yass; a Sundown mix (CD2) by DJ Spen; and an In The Club mix (CD3) by David Penn.
While Yass may not be as well known as some of his fellow Parisian DJ/remixers such as Bob Sinclar and DJ Gregory, he nonetheless has the "former Resident DJ at Club Queen" pedigree and has a house music sensibility that screams several parts NYC garage with a splash of French disco. His Poolside mix on this Miami 2009 album, featuring his "No Lies" and "I Won't" as well as his own new remix "The Way You Love Me" by Marc Evans, is extremely soulful and groovy. It's sure to impress those familiar with his work and those taking their maiden Yass voyage.
More familiar to house-heads around the world, and one of my favorite house-meisters of all time, DJ Spen absolutely turns out the Sundown mix. Featuring two classic songs remixed in house format - Prince's When Doves Cry" and Aretha's "Rescue Me" - Spen delivers a mix that further cements his position as one of the most important and influential persons on the global house music scene today. Rounding out this incredibly strong In The House production, Spanish DJ/remixer/producer David Penn presents a banging Club mix with plenty of hands in the air moments derived from classic house tracks, both new and old. Far from reliant on back catalog grooves in the original versions, Penn introduces freshness to house connoisseurs of all ages, including his remix of "It's Yours" by Jon Cutler and Henrik B's rerub of "Can't Get Enough" by Soulsearcher.
I've long maintained that Defected is the best house music record label in the world today. This 3-CD compilation and the use of Yass, Spen, and Penn once again demonstrates why it would be difficult to argue with me on this point.
Round-up
A quick trip through my inbox reveals a couple of new discs worthy of mention. First up is the maxi-single CD of "Boom," and new dance track by Anjulie that's beginning to get some well-deservd cub play. Available via iTunes and Amazon.com MP3, remixes are served up by Bimbo Jones, Mike Rizzo, Brazilian Girls, and Greg Kursin. I'm particularly liking the dubbish Kursin Dark mix.
Finally, there's a cool ass duo (Holly and the openly gay Ara) out of Los Angeles called MYNX that you absolutely do not want to miss out on. With a musical style that's compared to Garbage (as in the group, not as in trash) and that brings up "imagery of an electro rebirth of Sonny & Cher meets Goldfrapp." MYNX's new self-titled 5-track EP, featuring their underground cult hit "I'm So L.A.,": is filled with punchy lyrics, infectious hooks, and fierce vocals that are destined to broaden their appeal beyond the California state line.
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