Slam
Mixer Presents Slam in America
DMC
This is 152 1/2 minutes of techno-house mix from a Glaswegian duo who I’m told are “celebrated and so in-demand from record stores to club floors.” Okay, fine, I’m willing to believe that, despite the fact that I’ve never heard of them before right now – what the hell do I know? I’m not like a DJ or anything. But I’m not exactly sure why they are “in America” like the title says, and I’m not sure who “Mixer” is and why he or she or they or it is “presenting” Slam, and, hell, I’m all confused all up in here.
The two discs have different titles, so I’m assuming that they’re trying to accomplish different things. The first one is “Freelance Science,” and I guess it’s more the Detroit-electrofunk affair; it features some great computerish grooves from the likes of P.I.M.P., Tony Thomas, Jackmaster, and Frankie Knuckles featuring Jamie Principle. Brett Johnson is represented twice: “Stucco Homes” is a stutter-step robotsex workout, whereas “You + Me = We” resembles some of your Mouse on Mars adventurous things. It ends with Technasia’s “Force,” which sounds a lot more like the stuff on…
…Disc 2, “Pressure,” which is more of a housatronic dealie. Oxia, Secret Cinema, The Horrorist, and Percy X are all represented, and everything flows together nicely, with the exception of a moment in Los Tujlios’ “Solomillo” where everything kind of drops out for a minute before building back up. This might work on the dancefloor, but it totally kills the momentum of listening to it, so I’m not sure what the motivation is there. “Pressure” ends with Slam remixing their own track “Virtuoso” – on this evidence, I’d have to say that they are pretty good little techno composers in their own way, but not exactly world-beaters. Or virtuosi.
A great disc when you need help shaking your ass, but nothing you need to sell the kids for. Dude: that’s illegal.
