Wed. March 10, 2004
Chicago, IL -
Singles --
Kristine W shows her spiritual side after her recent bout with cancer, delivering uplifting vocals in “Save My Soul” (Tommy Boy). Mike Cruz and Gabriel & Dresden give proper treatment to the track and Junior Vasquez’ mix will fill the dance floor with hands up reaching for the heavens above! - Greg Drescher
Madonna has been ever present recently in dance clubs with a number of cuts being played. A maxi-single CD that’s out includes five mixes of “Nothing Fails.” I found the best of the “Nothing Fails” mixes to be Peter Rauhofer’s Classic House Mix, which shows that he knows his stuff when venturing away from his patented Star 69 sound. As the name suggests, it has that classic house music feel to it and at a beats per minute that works well when I’ve gone into my “Take them church!” mode. For a version that works better with a faster paced-set, the Jackie’s In Love In The Club Mix is good offering that should please the dance floor. - DJ Plez
In his last column, my predecessor talked about a new track that was just hitting the scene: “Haru” by Haru (Romann Music). Well, it has taken off to become a Top 5 charter on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music/Club Play List. In addition to the energetic, big room sounding Widelife mix, there’s a Junior Vasquez Mix with more of a percussive groove and cleaner sound to it. The DeMarko! & Deep Influence Mix has a darker and more dramatic feel to it and would work well during a late night set. – DJ Plez
Be on the lookout for the new Kult Music remixes of the single “Bodyfly” from Dynamix presents Inda Matrix (Kult Records). The NYC Club Mix has that big room feel to it, but thankfully not the cookie cutter vocal anthem styling so often heard. There’s an Afterlife Remix by DJ Mark Anthony that’s got some real nice progressive elements to it. My personal favorite is the Conrado Martinez Remix; a more minimal, relaxed sounding treatment with a layered percussive arrangement that just really works. Very nice indeed! – DJ Plez
Compilations --
Bangin’02: Progressive Beats – mixed by Manny Lehman (Tommy Boy)
DJ Manny Lehman’s latest compilation, aptly named “Bangin’ 02”, is the second in a series of progressive beats from Tommy Boy. Manny delivers plenty of anthems to satisfy the masses, including Ralphi’s mix of “Fly Again” by Kristine W, “Shining” by Double Dee and “Just About Had Enough” by Beat Hustlerz, and his progressive side comes out strong in tracks by Murk, Superchumbo and Orange Factory. Bang those drums! - Greg Drescher
Party Groove: Blue Ball Volume 3.0 – mixed by Susan Morabito (Centaur Music)
This continuous mix, the official benefit CD for Philadelphia’s 2004 edition of Blue Ball, is incredibly refreshing. Unlike so many other mixed CDs that pound and pound simplistically and non-stop with tribal beats and recognizable vocal anthems, DJ Susan Morabito delivers an ambitious effort filled with groovy and soulful tracks that will be unfamiliar to many. As she said in her interview with ChicagoPride.com, this mix is more pre-peak hours in its orientation with tracks by Layo & Bushwacka, John Ciafone, Peace Division, and ATFC. Upon repeated listening, the nuanced sophistication of the mix becomes quite evident, providing the proof as to why Morabito, after more than 20 years in the DJ booth, may be at her very best creatively. Big ups to Morabito and Centaur for providing a mixed compilation CD that dares to go outside of the normal gay dance club/circuit scene box. – DJ Plez
What’s That Sound? Queer Eye For The Straight Guy Soundtrack – Various Artists (Capitol)
Staying much more in a predictable box, but with an interesting and entertaining tracklisting of songs, is this soundtrack to QE4TSG. It starts off with the theme, “All Things,” by Widelife featuring Simone Denny and includes a great remix of Kylie Minogue’s “Slow” by the Chemical Brothers and the absolutely fabulous (oops, that’s another show) “Good Luck” by Basement Jaxx. Chicago’s own Liz Phair has an offereing - “Extraordinary” - on this CD as well. When having friends over for cocktails or in need of some good tunes to crank up in your car, this CD will definitely do the trick. – DJ Plez
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