★★★☆☆
Oscar G just wants you to get loose. Loose being the operative word, as long as asses are moving in the right direction. It’s not much to ask, and Gaetan isn’t holding a gun to your feet either, with crowd-gathering, tribal-tied grooves and tried and tested vocal prompts. “Music Takes Me Higher” and “Work” aren’t teaching funky green dogs new tricks, but the dance floor chase remains good enough. Toughened up beats are told to chill by Latin sections: “Agua Bendita” and “Play U Out” take the steam out of the situation by playing party-powering, tub-thumbing percussion with no need for over-elaborating — though an enormous fog horn and some passing cop car sirens will shake up the conga line.
Undeniably led by vibe, it’s all about letting the rhythm take you, stepping out of the club and onto the streets as per the clash of rustic and digital (“Cha Cha Cha” meeting both half way), though the humidity doesn’t change either side of the velvet rope. Twelve-minute jacker “Hypnotized” is classic to the core, showing Gaetan wants it all. You can keep your wild mood swings though – maybe it’s more close-knit than first thought…anyway, it’s a rock-solid selection.
File under: Murk, Masters at Work, Dennis Ferrer