Compilation Review: Mr G / ‘Retrospective’ (Rekids)

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★★★★☆

Perhaps more housey than you’d expect — less about barking orders to face the front with shoulders back — Colin McBean’s archiving has got more pumps than a fiend for flat tires. Connected to techno by the applied DNA of flailing hi-hats (the ones that aren’t clipped but shake all over the place on the drum it), and sporadic doubling up on drum thickness, a funky double disc onslaught loops until hip fractures and busted tailbones have ERs heaving.

Extensive experience shows that one good lick grunting and shunting over and over (the taut temptation of “I’m Dirty”) can be all you need to hit lotto. “Hear Me Out” and “Jet Black” require only dour bass notes to round up a dance floor, though disc two shows signs of swivelling into the floor and unable to free itself from its own locked groove. This is less a problem for “Lights” and “The Day After B”, turning disco filtered love trains into high speed rail links, and gentle giant “My Father’s Farda.”

‘Proper’ techno murk comes from swirling boiler “Pepsi”, with subliminal advertising possibly at work to gauge the tastes of a new generation; and “Danger” boxing you until birds are spinning around your dome. Vocal samples verge on the unusual: “Did You Know” will play on your nerves, Jodeci ooze over the unreleased pleasure/pain experience “Shelter”, and the message on “Going Home” seems a bit wasted on an otherwise fine ambient cascade helping treat summer stereos and poolside walkmans.

File under: The Advent, Carl Cox, Tommy Atkins

Big Shot Guest Mix: Slow It Down

Despite living 400 miles apart Glasgow’s Slow It Down — Jamie Gardiner and Ralph Thomson — still manage to make beautiful music together. Sporting a funky sound drawing from disco, house and boogie, they keep under the 122 BPM speed limit and we’re all the better for it. On October 29 the duo will release their new Alright EP with Elijah Collins on Retrospective (listen to it at the bottom of this story), and to celebrate they’ve crafted an exceptional Big Shot Guest Mix.

“Our DJ sets and mixes are unashamedly party music and there’s nothing within reason we won’t drop if it’s the right vibes or we’ve had enough Red Stripe,” says Jamie Gardiner. “With this mix we wanted to showcase some of the tracks and artists we dig at the moment and big up some of SoundCloud’s unsung heroes, a place littered with dance floor gems if you’ve the time to search ’em out.”

Have a listen to their 12-track Big Shot Guest Mix featuring tracks from underground sensations Le Youth, Native Underground, MANIK and Ruben and Ra’s Underground Dub of “Alright.” Download and enjoy.

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Big Shot Guest Mix: Slow It Down

1. Le Youth / “Cool”
2. Moon Boots feat. Violetness – “Running From”
3. Pink Stallone feat. Joey Washington / “Mine” (The Revenge dub)
4. Native Underground / “Close” (Alphabet City remix)
5. Lipelis / “I Need It” (Lovebirds mix)
6. Slow It Down and Elijah Collins / “Alright” (Ruben and Ra’s Underground Dub)
7. Bonar Bradberry / “Guess Who”
8. Ponty Mython / “It’s Not Right To Die Tonight” (Original Mix)
9. Joey Karmon / “Wowshit”
10. Markas / “Love” (Elijah Collins remix)
11. Bit Funk / “It Ain’t Easy”
12. MANIK / “Weekend Is 4 Lovers”

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