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Release Date: September 15th, 2008
Reviewed: 4/5
Mark Knight’s Toolroom Records continues its successful Toolroom Knights series with a new mix compilation from Australian DJ/Producer Dirty South aka Dragan Roganovic. Disc 1 brings a healthy slab of neo house cuts and even a few classic house tunes remixed and reformulated with more progressive sounds and production techniques. With an adequate track selection, Dirty moves us through several styles quickly, from the stringy and symphonic of the first few tracks, to the welcome melodic proggy synths of Gui Boratto’s beautiful Anunciación, through new acid, hard house, on to tripped out, late night tech-house and back. The mixing is predictable and inconspicuous, excluding the sporadic, abrupt bass-band switchover. Mark Knight, Adam K & Soha’s From The Speaker (Original Dub Mix) warrants mention as an extremely well produced progressive cut with only one detraction: the superfluous vocal. Dirty South’s own production comes into play with his notable mid-set tech-prog builder Minority. While Robert Babicz’s offers his take on the quarter note progressive stab with Dark Flower (Joris Voorn Magnolia Mix), its wandering delays, dubby echoes, and melancholic sweeping melodies bringing the set to a slightly shrill climax. Disc 2, before moving on to tougher tech-house beats, carries a melodic approach from the start, with an over the top organ number, overshadowed by classic house (read: effete) male vocals. Let’s not get sidetracked here, but this is a noticeable trend in the TRK series, things will be going great then, bam! They toss in a knuckleball, some pop house crossover/vocal schlock or whatever, an inherent flaw in the something-for-everyone house compilation concept. Thankfully we’re brought back from that boundary with Booka Shade’s dark tech-house plucker, Charlotte (Dubfire Remix), and Style Of Eye’s whimsical, silly, and inventive The Big Kazoo. Sebastian Ingrosso & Laidback Luke’s progressive dancefloor monster, Chaa Chaa, appears yet again in a TRK series mix, this time in the form of EDX’s Marakesh Souk Remix. This bright, saturated, and delay effected type of quarter note synth, is by now an epitomical progressive house sound. Based on the number of mix compilations Chaa Chaa has been appearing on, likely a milestone progressive track of 2008. Steve Mac & Paul Harris’s You (FPS Remix) is another outstanding tune in here, tough and jackin, eventually revealing its progressive attitude. Dirty caps this one off with another brand of sentimentality: Tocadisco’s version of Dirty South’s Doors sampling tune, The End. Where, although well done in many respects, Jim Morrison’s vocal has been reduced to near caricature with its upward re-pitching. Overall, a decent mix with plenty of new Progressive House tunes you should be/get familiar with, along with a generous serving of string instrument based or orchestral themed house, and other various tech-house experiments.
Tom Solo [22-Sep-2008]
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