Various - West Coast Grooves Volume One: David Alvarado

DMC: 2000

This is when United DJs Of America was irrecoverably changed, a shadow of its former self. Perhaps the series concept had grown redundant, the DJ mix market ballooning to such a degree that spotlighting overlooked US jocks was unnecessary. Everyone was a DJ by the year 2000, and stores were far from lacking in CD options for Yet Another Mix. If DMC wanted to keep this series fresh in the minds of casual consumers, a shake-up was in order. First, do away with that iconic logo – too '90s. Next, implement a cheap-as-fuck cover design, making your product as unappealing in shelves as possible. Finally, cancel the UK market distribution, because who among the Brits really liked American DJs anyway? Amazing this series made it twenty volumes before folding.

United DJs Of America, Vol. 15 was the first in this change, and it shows. DMC was still offering UK options (which I have in my possession), but the only indication this mix was still part of the series is the barcode. Maybe they had some small faith they could translate this 'west coast grooves' concept beyond a volume one, but they sure weren't putting any effort into it.

David Alvarado's a chap I should have come into contact more often, but simply haven't. He's released many singles on Very Important Labels (Peacefrog, Strictly Rhythm, Yoshitoshi, Ovum), has been playlisted by many Very Important DJs (Deep Dish, John Digweed, Terry Lee Brown Jr., lots of minimal tech-haus sorts), yet I have but three scattered tracks of his in my entire library (so sayeth Lord Discogs). Bizarre.

Yeah, I don't know much about Mr. Alvarado. A Los Angeles native, he mostly focused on the deep side of house, shifted towards a techier style when that became more fashionable, and even self-released a techno LP this past year. United DJs Of America – West Coast Grooves finds him still in deep house mode, and he provides a serviceable set of chill Naked-OM vibes with a little Latin flavour thrown in towards the end. Petalpusher (aka: Miguel Migs) shows up, as does Kerri Chandler, but I don't recognize many names beyond those.

An early highlight is the Kevin Yost and Peter Funk track Another World, which plays to their impeccable sense of mellow, dubby jazz-house just as wonderfully as their classic Dreams Of You. Mind, it's not quite as mint as that tune, but it does provide me with an easy, lazy comparison with Mark Farina's Frisko Disco, in that David's set pales compared to it. All the tunes here are fine, but little leaps out at you either, making this perfect background fodder at a swanky club while sipping cocktails, and not much else.

Things aren't looking too hot for United DJs Of America. Think it's time I bail myself out of this series pronto. As luck would have it, a certain expert in escapes just happens to be in L.A. too! What say you, Mr. Plissken?

Mr. Plissken: The name is Snake.

Various - United DJs Of America, Vol. 14: DJ Soul Slinger

DMC: 2000

It took six years, fourteen entries, and seventeen DJs, but d'n'b finally, finally, gets a look-in with United DJs Of America. What, did the U.S. Of A. just not have any love for jungle throughout the '90s? My dudes, of course there was a strong contingent of junglists on this continent, with plenty of prominent DJs doing the rounds. DJ Dara! AK1200! Dieselboy! Freaky Flow! Wait, I'm just listing off jocks that came out on Moonshine. Come to think of it, that was the only significant Stateside label promoting homegrown d'n'b DJs. What gives, Soul Slinger? You had a jungle label, Jungle Sky, and an outlet for it with your Liquid Sky shop. Surely you could have given a few jocks a promotional bump based off your brand? Then again, perhaps America's d'n'b scene simply didn't have enough presence to make national marketing a viable option, not until a print with the financial backing of Moonshine got some cross-continental exposure going.

It's also a surprise that, for as long as he'd been in the business, Carlos Slinger had never made a commercial DJ mix until this point. Yeah, there was Upload: A Continuous Mix a couple years prior, but that one mostly featured his own productions, so was more an album than a proper rinse-out of vinyl crate weapons. Not so here, names like Scitex, TNT (2), Uncle 22, and The Burner Brothers all showing in the Soul Slinger's set for United DJs Of America, Vol. 14. I haven't heard of any o' these cats.

The CD opens with some live crowd action and MCing – was this a live recording? there's no indication in the inlay – and Mr. Slinger shows off his Brazilian roots with his own Zulu Transform (Samba Mix). At first I was worried that such MCing would overtake the music, but it's only for a couple early tracks, and T.C. Izlam doesn't appear again until the very end, where the crowd noise returns for a jump-up remix-singalong to Mike & Ike's Plutonic (you've heard it before as Biz Markie's Just A Friend).

Surprisingly, I wish he did show up a few more times throughout, because the tracks on offer grow rather monotonous after a while. Slinger seems intent on showcasing d'n'b with weird base noises above all else, whether they're a good tune or not. Some of it kicks proper darkstep ass, like Slither's Distorted Minds and Future Cut's Whiplash. Others are hilariously limp or silly - the bassline in DJ Del Mar's Him sounds like a wet fart dribbling out. I don't think the mix CD suited Slinger's particular style, and perhaps he knew it, never releasing another commercial set again. Maybe he preferred focusing on fashion.

New York City has had far too much representation in this series. We need to get out of this place, pronto, and there's only one man for a guest review capable of doing so. What say you, Snake?

Snake: The name's Plissken.

Various - United DJs Of America Presents: Murk Starring In Miami Vice

DMC: 1999

This series is being screwy again. No where on the cover or the inlay does it tell you this is Vol. 12 of United DJs Of America. I could understand if they'd be reluctant to include the number if it was Vol. 13, but for whatever reason, DMC/Mixer decided this was the point they were to break with tradition. No more numerical volumes. Glorious gimmick cover art of the DJs involved. Reduce their series logo to a footnote (well, for the UK version of this release). Dammit, they rented that Lamborghini and retro suits for the photo shoot, and they're gonna' make sure you see them in all their glory! Naturally, United DJs Of America went back to basics with Vol. 13, never doing such a gimmicked release again.

Anyone worth their house-salt knows who Murk is. Oscar Gaetan and Ralph Falcon have been staples of the American scene since the early '90s, establishing their own Murk Records to self-release vinyl under various aliases. When house music was struggling to figure out what to do next, the Murk Boys took the vibes of Chicago and added a deep, sexy Miami bump 'n' grind aesthetic to it, eventually leading to what's often referred to as 'tribal house'. All the big proponents of it – Danny Tenaglia, Steve Lawler, Roger Sanchez – always namedrop Murk as highly influential in the development of their rinsing style.

The one United DJs Of America trend Vol. 12: Miami Vice does maintain is being the the debut commercial DJ mix for the chosen jock(s). So to it is with Murk, although they were mostly known as record makers rather than record spinners. Still, I'm sure they hosted plenty of nights throughout South Florida (and New York), so they have some experience behind the decks.

And they don't do anything to dash expectations. The thick, heavy, sweaty, tribal rhythms hit you early, and remain steady, familiar names like Peace Division, Krome Avenue, Eddie Amador, and Kings Of Tomorrow all weapons in Murk's arsenal. Also, Pete Heller's huge anthem Big Love is on here, one of the earliest CDs to get a feature. This was ridiculously overplayed by the year 2000, but many years removed from it now, it all comes flooding back why everyone went apeshit over this – at least until Daft Punk's One More Time completely changed the game. Anyhow, if you like yourselves a Tenaglia set that isn't quite so silky smooth, you'll dig Murk's contribution to this series.

Obviously the cover art invites a guest review spot from Crockett and Tubbs of Miami Vice fame, but I know which individual y'all really want to hear from, the infamous Tony Montana (aka: Scarface). Have at you, mang'.

Tony: Ay, this [bleep] mix is [bleep] alright, right? Murk Boys, they [bleeep] all day long, and when they [bleeep] the [bleeep] club with [bleeeeep] records, them sexy [bleeep] chicas and [bleeep] with [bleeep]. They proof of [bleeeeeeeep] American dream, livin' [bleeep] and well.

Various - United DJs Of America, Vol. 11: Cevin Fisher - My First CD

DMC: 1999

This name tasks me. Taunts me. Flies in the face of all that I hold grammatically pure and true. Cevin is pronounced with a hard 'C', like 'Kevin', but my brain wants me to pronounce it with a soft 'C', like 'Seven'. Anytime I see a 'C' beside an 'e', I gotta' say it as an 's'. Brains are weird.

Folks new to the house game may know Mr. Fisher for his vocal contributions in recent singles, but he's been a New York City fixture for many, many years. He spent a good chunk of the '90s releasing his own singles under several one-off aliases, and built up a rep' as one of house music's emerging talents on the DJ circuit. By the turn of the millennium, he looked poised to stand shoulder to shoulder with Morales, Sanchez, Knuckles, and Vega, especially since they'd all done prior mixes for the United DJs Of America series. This would launch the next stage of Cevin's career!

He... didn't take off quite as expected. It wasn't a fall off or anything, but house music kept morphing throughout the '00s, and Cevin's vintage New York disco house kept him firmly entrenched in the clubbing underground. Thus he never broke out the way his contemporaries did, though it wouldn't surprise me if he prefers it that way.

And yes, 'dangerous disco' is the name of the game on United DJs Of America, Vol. 11 (his first CD!). The opening Beautiful Day from House Of 909 takes us off with chill, uplifting vibes, but Cevin doesn't waste time in getting us to that ultra-loopy house action, including his own anthem of House Music - Cevin don't mess around with fancy titles, yo'. From there, things go a little deeper (Those Norwegians' Soda), a little Latin (Agent Purple's Kings Of Spain), a little bumpin' (Wet Dreams' Sunrise), and back to disco (Studio 45's Freak It). And what New York house set is complete without the obligatory nine-minute gospel cut to take us out? Well, some, but Mr. Fisher's making sure all flavours of house are repped here, so raise those damn hands and sing the praises of your Lord Jesus!

Oh man, there's so many famous fictional people from New York City I could get to do a guest review spot. For some reason though, an investment banker by the name of Patrick Bateman wants in.

Patrick: I didn't understand house music, not at first, when black people in Chicago were dancing to it. Something about that environment didn't seem right, like a primitive version of the disco nights of Studio 54. New York City made house better, merging it with something called garage. I believe that's another disco genre. It gave house music more soul, not unlike an upbeat Whitney Houston song. House music is now played in many clubs around the city, including The Tunnel. Hardbodies there like dancing to it.

(Uh, you've hit the word-cap, Patrick, and didn't talk about the CD at all.)

The first Cevin Fisher track I heard was It's Gonna Be Alright, a collaboration with Jus Us as No Pain, in 1993. The single came out on Hardtrax Records in 1993, and had five different versions on it. The first two mixes, titled No More Pain Mix and Gonna Be Alright Mix, have little variation between them. Cliff's Deep Flute Mix has some jazz flute notes being played. Rio Beats adds some Latin influences to the track. The Vox adds long delay and echo effects to Cevin's vocals. This was the only single Cevin Fisher released as No Pain.

It was after this single that Cevin Fisher started releasing music under this name. His first record was called Oye Ese Pito!!! on the label Gettin Lifted. His next single was an eponymous record, released on Groovilicious in 1996. This had the tracks Do You Wanna Fly, Take You To The Skies, Pump It, and Pump The Beats. Cevin released many more singles that same year, including I Want Music on Subversive, Raise Your Hands on Sound Of Minisry, and Check This Out and The Most Wanted EP on Maxi Records. In 1998, he paired with Robert Owens, a popular house music singer, and Satoshi Tomiie, a progressive house producer, for the single Darkness, released on S3. By far though, his most popular track was (You Got Me) Burnin' Up, released on Tommy Boy Silver. It's success lies with a sampling of Love Sensation by Loleatta Holloway, a disco hit from 1980, released on Gold Mind Records. In capturing Loleatta Holloway's impassioned belting voice, Cevin Fisher recaptures the hedonistic feeling of late '70 disco for a modern era. Another club anthem Cevin released in 1998 was The Freaks Come Out.

(what are you doing? I said your word cap was tapped out)

Cevin Fisher used a slightly different alias for The Freaks Come Out, called Cevin Fisher's Big Freak. This would be the only record he'd use the alias for. The track uses a sample from Whodini's Freaks Come Out At Night, released on Jive in 1984. Another key feature is the belting refrain of a 'disco diva' singing "Oh baby, oh!" Also in the track are horns that sound like a mardi gras celebration. In combining all these elements, Cevin Fisher captures the melting pot of New York City's varied clubbing cultures both past and present. Many popular DJs have now featured it their mixes and radio shows. This includes Pete Tong's Essential Selection - Summer 1998, on FFRR; Boy George's set in the tag-team release with Judge Jules of The Annual IV, on Ministry Of Sound; DJ Dan's mix CD Beats 4 Freaks on Moonshine Music; Tall Paul's set in Cream Anthems, released by Virgin EMI; Carl Cox's Non Stop 98/01, released on FFRR; The Klubbheads, in their set for the three CD release Kontor - Top Of The Clubs Volume 2, released on Polytel; Flavio Vecchi's set on New York Bar Compilation Volume 1, released on Dream Beat; Allister Whitehead's set in Fantazia - British Anthems 2000, released on Fantazia; Robert De La... Gauthier's Club Foundation, released on ID&T; Richard Evans & Johnathon Robbins' set from In The Mix Ibiza, released on Circa Records LTD.; Mas Ricardo in OXA House Vol. 2, released on TBA; DJ Erick-E's set on Work 9, released on Work Records; Alan Thompson's set in Trade: Summer Holiday, released on Jive.

(oh my god, doesn't this guy ever shut up?)

Various - Rewind: Taylor - Resonance

DMC: 1998/2001

Yeah, this technically isn't part of the United DJs Of America mainline series, but the reissue Rewind series, which primarily focused on some of the best mixes from United (a few also cribbed from Mixmag Live!). I've already covered this information with Mark Farina's Rewind (aka: United DJs Of America, Vol. 9 – Frisko Disco), but that review was... geez'it, three years ago now? Doesn't seem a shade over two-and-a-half.

Anyhow, the original version of this CD was United DJs Of America, Vol. 10, hence its current placement in my ramshackle retrospective. Taylor (Myles Glenn Wooten to the California voter roll) was an appropriate jock to tap, bringing trance back into the series with the genre on the cusp of US commercial interests. What better reason, then, to have one of that scene's dedicated veterans emerge from obscurity for a rinse-out? Oh, right, because he also had that huge collaborative single in Anomaly – Calling Your Name.

This is a good, solid trance set from Taylor. The only overplayed anthem is the breaks hit Expand The Room from The Light, and Jackal & Hyde's Get Down To My Technique is a fun lead-in to it. Taylor himself apes a little Chris Cowie in Slide, and hearing Lieb's bangin' rub of Movin' Melodies' Rollerblade is always welcome (chopped vocals in '96!). Throw in a few acid cuts at the start, and a lengthy prog collab' with Sasha and Maria Nayler at the finish, and you've yourself a very nice trance CD in whatever used shop you might find it in.

Los Angeles is where Taylor hails from, and few folks are as fictionally famous from that region than Zack Morris. What say you, Zack?

Zack: You know, if I'd been of this current generation, I'd totally have become a DJ. Don't get me wrong, having a band called Zack Attack is fun and all, but c'mon. Me, the center of attention with thousands of screaming fans cheering my name to play other people's music? It's the career I was born for.

A.C.: Hold on there, preppy. If anyone's destined to be a DJ, it's me. Heck, it's so obvious that an actual DJ took my name and made a career of it. You'll always be runner up to my talents.

Zack: Hey now, Slate', we don't have to be rivals. We could do a tag-team, you know? Go into this together, be a stud DJ duo, the two of us. How's that sound?

A.C.: I dunno. Sounds like another one of your schemes, preppy. You'd just gum things up in the end. But hey, why not?

Screech: Hey, guys, what about me? You need someone with actual technical knowledge to operate those laptops and programs that do all the mixing.

Belding: Hey, hey, hey, what is going on here? I used to be a DJ, and can offer some expert insight-

Zack: Whoa, time out! We're getting far too crowded in here. Time to cut this guest review short.

Various - United DJs Of America, Vol. 5: Frankie Bones - Brooklyn, NY

DMC: 1996

And... we're already in some discrepancies regarding this series. I have in my possession Frankie Bones' contribution to United DJs Of America, as worthy as any US-born jock to get the nod. However, two versions of his entry exist, one with this yellow background, listed as Vol. 5, and another with a red background, listed as Vol. 6. Which is the real deal?

Both, kind of. This series had US and UK distribution, but for some reason, the UK skipped on the double-disc outing of Vol. 4 featuring David Morales and Frankie Knuckles, thus gimping the sequence for a couple years before Mark Farina's Vol. 9 set the timeline back in order (man, is there anything Frisko Disco can't do?). Cover art aside, there's no difference between UK-Vol.5 and US-Vol.6, though considering the red one's got all the Discogian comments attached, I suspect it's considered the proper-deal – it is the American version, after all.

As for ol' Frankie The Bone, he needs no introduction since I've talked him up plenty now. For a jock that was so instrumental in bringing rave music to the underground masses of the Eastern seaboard, it's surprising this was among his first major commercial DJ mixes. He'd put out several tapes prior, but the Discogian data's a little flakey on the exact dates of his other 1996 releases – for all I know, House Loop on Sm:)e Communications or Global House Culture Vol 2 on ESP-SUN Records hit the streets sooner. Still, fairly certain this was his first UK DJ mix.

And there's no beatin' round the bush with Bones' brand of bangin' acid techno. The kicks come hard and fast right out the gate, dudes like Tom Wax, Chris Liebing, and Commander Tom all doing the damage. A particular chap by the name of Michael Kores pops up frequently in this set, though usually under an alias, including Albion. Yeah, you can imagine my initial shock when I thought it was the other Albion (aka: Ferry Corsten) in a Bones set. Trance does get a cursory glance in the track Active Sensing from Lectric Cargo, yet another project from Norman Feller, but it's the relentless hard techno and acid we get through and through. We wouldn't have it any other way from ol' Frankie.

For this guest review, there's only one Brooklynite famous enough to review Frankie Bones, the Flatbush native Bugs Bunny! What, I didn't say they had to be human.

Bugs: Eh, what's up, doc'? Me, review music? Sure, I can do that. I know all the classics – Brahms, Beethoven, Bachs – and plenty of vaudeville too. Frankie Bones, eh? Hehehe, get a load of that name. What is he, a skeleton? Hehehe, better watch out for roving bands of Rovers. Frisky gangs of Fidos. This music is different from what I'm used to, but it sure does pep'. Hehehe, would make for a wonderful gag, placing headphones of it playing onto ol' Elmer's head while he's sleeping.

Various - United DJs Of America, Vol. 3: Josh Wink - Philadelphia, PA

DMC America: 1995

It's been a while since I did a “DJ mix series retrospective on the cheap”, and if there's one that could use another look while being affordable, it's United DJs Of America. While Europe and especially the U.K. were absolutely gung-ho about their vinyl spinners, many DJs in America struggled to gain much attention outside clubbing hotbeds, save the occasional crossover single they produced on the side. DMC figured they could make bank highlighting some of America's most prominent jocks, and started the series up in 1994.

Hot off the heels of his breakout acid anthem of Higher State Of Consciousness, DMC tapped Josh Wink for the series' third entry. Heh, no, that wasn't the sole reason. The whole point of United DJs Of America was to shed some shine on locales beyond the famed clubbing hotbeds of New York City, Chicago, South Florida, and San Francisco (Detroit was more about warehouses than clubs), and Philadelphia often went overlooked. However, DJ Jazzy Jeff wasn't part of the house and techno scene, ?uestlove was busy doing his own thing with The Roots, and Diplo was an unknown teen in '95. If any Philly jock was to get the greenlight here, Josh Wink was the man, a well-established veteran with discerning heads even before hitting big with Higher State.

United DJs Of America was Wink's first commercial DJ mix, and I suspect he was still in the feeling-out process of how to make one. It starts fine enough with some bumpin' house action from Murk and Madd African, but soon gives way to the sort of minimal techno and house that Wink made his name on, including his own pre-Higher State cut How's The Music. It's all very heady music, and I'm sure worked wonderfully in dark, sweaty clubs back when, but does it ever drag listening to it on the homefront. Plus, I'm kinda' worn out on DBX' Losing Control now, thanks.

But we all know ol' Josh for the acid, and the back end of his set comes correct with the tweakin' 303 action, tracks like Cappio Bros.' Caffeine 4 Daze?, Firefly's Supernatural, and ten-plus minutes of Tata Box Inhibitors' Plasmids doing the damage proper-like. A strong finish, though a rather tedious trip to get there.


I can't do a DJ mix series retrospective without some gimmick, so what better way to celebrate each selected city than having a guest review spot by someone famous from each location. And I can't think of anyone more famous from Philly than Rocky Balboa! What, I didn't say they had to be real.

Rocky: A'yo, if DJing is something Josh wanna do, and is something Josh gotta' do, then Josh will do it, ya' know? Remember, big arms can move rocks, but big beats can move mountains. Ya' know, they always say if you live in one place long enough, you are that place, and Josh, he's Philly, through an' through. He's a contender that refused to give up.

Various - United DJs Of America Volume 17: Scott Hardkiss (Original TC Review)

DMC: 2001

(2017 Update:
One of the very, very, very few perfect scores I gave out while writing for TranceCritic, and I still stand by it. Admittedly, what Scott Hardkiss does here probably isn't as impressive these days what with digital DJing making eclectic sets like these much easier to produce. Heck, such CDs were quite marketable and profitable for a short while a number of years back, kitchen-sink sets earning all the critical plaudits. Just makes Scott's effort here all the more remarkable having done it on vinyl, practically in spite of scene hype focusing its attention elsewhere.

Sadly, Scott passed away some four years ago now. Before then, he'd finally released a full-length album in 2009 called Technicolor Dreamer, all the while continuing to put out singles and working the DJ circuit until the end. Truly one of San Francisco's legends, taken far too soon.)

IN BRIEF: More house than a suburban district.

United DJs Of America: remember this series? If not, don’t feel too bad - it’s understandable. Despite having a number of highly respected names tied to it (Bones, Bambaataa, Knuckles, Vega, Farina, Craze… loads more), DMC had difficulty maintaining a consistent distributor, flopping around on several during its eight year run. In the end, it folded when the American dance industry entered a mild recession in the year of ‘03.

Shame, then, that San Francisco based DJ/producer Scott Hardkiss should be offered a go at this series so late in its run. Most likely know Hardkiss as that guy behind God Within and White Dove, but he was mixing up acid, breaks, and house on the West Coast scene for longer than that. As something of a recluse from the spotlight, he never quite broke out the way many of his peers did. And when finally given the opportunity to do so, his contribution to the United DJs legacy went largely unnoticed. And that, my friends, is an even bigger shame, as Hardkiss put together possibly one of the finest mixes the series ever saw.

For all its resilience and ace talent, the quality of United DJs often varied. It wasn’t uncommon for a classic release to be followed with an achingly average one, often due to the limitations DJs put themselves in by sticking to their chosen styles. Hardkiss, though, is a wildly eclectic DJ, and wouldn’t be satisfied with settling for a few forms of house. So, he went and made a mix with all of them!

Well, not all of them. Deep house is absent because this isn’t the kind of set for it. Electro house is obviously uninvited to this party either, since this release comes before that sound had really emerged. And of course euro-house is just too poppy. But yeah ...everything else - prog, acid, disco, tech; it’s all here.

So if this is such a varied mix, why did it go unnoticed? First impressions can go a long way, and in this case the opening tracks may have turned many away. Hardkiss starts with prog, and in 2001 this stuff was everywhere, with many sets sounding no different from the next. You’d be forgiven for dismissing this as Just Another Prog Mix based on the beginning.

But unlike many prog sets that drag with tension builders and transition tracks due to the room of two discs, Hardkiss knows he has far less time to get everything he wants in the seventy-four minutes a single CD offers. With no wasted meanderings, he mixes into his trademark funky acid house with Electric Skychurch’s Liberty and peaks the trip with a kaleidoscope of bubbly psychedelia in is rub of Tom Chasteen’s Freedom. And soon after that, we’re off into a festive atmosphere with The Heartists’ Bolo Horizonti, where Hardkiss gives a nod to New York as well with David Morales’ remix of the same track right afterwards.

You’d think these quick transitions between such different types of house (we’ve gone through at least four by the mid-way mark) would clash with abrupt mixes, yet Hardkiss keeps things flowing just fine, each track complementing the next without sounding forced. By contrast, a number of DJ mixes that attempt house sets of this nature sound like an MP3 player put on Random. Either it’s a testament to his skill as a DJ, or most other DJs have just grown lazy over the years by sticking with only a couple styles.

The house music continues jumping all over the place as the set carries on: funk is brought in courtesy of C-Mos’ 6-2 Young; having earned our trust with his track selection thus far, Hardkiss gets away with the goofy fun of Plastika and Conga Squad’s Disco Rockin’; energetic tech injects a dose of adrenaline with Jark Prongo’s Rocket Bass (and yes, that is Push It sampled there); good-natured hip-house from Armand van Helden and Common take us out with class; and sprinklings of San Francisco’s disco funk fill in the gaps.

Critiques then. Surely there has to be something that doesn’t hold up on this half-a-decade old set. Honestly, there’s very little worth criticizing here: track arrangement is superb and the mixing is mostly unobtrusive. A couple technical issues pop up but hardly hinder; in fact, it adds to the charm of this set, giving it a rawer live feeling and thus making Hardkiss’ few DJ tricks all the more engaging. And even if you don’t fancy house music, you’ll nonetheless enjoy the positive San Fran vibes that ooze from these tracks.

Steady readers of this website probably realize these five-star ratings are rare, but Hardkiss’ foray has everything we look for in a release that earns it: diversity, creativity, and - most importantly - enjoyable engagement from start to finish. Don’t miss out on this overlooked gem.

Written by Sykonee for TranceCritic.com, 2007. © All rights reserved