We start off the album with a mix of old school style hip hop (Tom Tom Club's "Wordy Rappinghood") with cool, funky disco in the form of Didier En Tom and Sylvie Marks. From there we delve into the depths of synth and electro pop. Bolz Bolz's "Take a Walk" and Space's "Magic Fly" is very mellow relaxing – their style reminds me of artists such as Air or Jean Michel Jare.
Our first classic track comes in the form of Depeche Mode's "I Just Can’t Get Enough" – an excellent tune that sparkles with glitter and glam. From here the mood darkens and slows as illustrated by Felix Da Housecat's "Cyber Whore" and Ferenc's "Yes Sir I Can Hardcore". There's a short interlude at track 13 before we resume with the crazy mix and mash-ups. Partick Hernandez's "Born to Be Alive" is a cheesy, funky, rock tune that sounds like it should be on Euro-Trash – it's so bad that it's good! I believe that this is a classic anthem in the making.
Things become more serious as we mix into New Order's "The Beach/Blue Monday" and Basement Jaxx's "Romeo" - these songs need no description, their quality speaks for themselves. Moving on swiftly, we are introduced to Scratch Massive's "Ice Breaker", in my opinion this is dark house at its best. The sound is reminiscent of Stakka & Skynet's dark, moody drum and bass beats. The mood slowly evolves in the next few tracks as we shift from an undercurrent of tension towards deep breakbeats in the form of Visage and Trance Mog – there's plenty of base and funky lines to keep your head bobbing and feet tapping here.
By track 21 there's a change of style and tempo as The Stooge's classic track "Lose" is mixed in. Somehow I feel that the introduction of such a track is out of place and feels disjointed. There's nothing to continue the rock momentum as we move onto the next track. Here, we revert back to the electronica/bastard style pop with Redagain P vs Keen K's "Body Noise". This song sounds very similar to La Tour's – "People are still having sex" – a pretty cool combination of beats and rhythms. From here, we mix things around with the introduction of L.F.O's hypnotic sounding "Butterslut" (it sounds like a mixture of robots communicating with each other / bullets being fired – creating a rhythmic wall of sound that you will either love or hate). There's a good mix of artists here such as Siouxsie and the Banshees, the Propellerheads and Basement Jaxx. For me though, the outstanding track in this album has to be Lego's excellent "El Ritmo De Verdad" – this is a classic Latin American tune with sexy vocals and laidback beats. The track was too short for me – listen to it and you'll agree that it should have been longer.
After the soothing, mellow sounds comes another tempo change. This is an assault to your senses are we chop and change again. Personally, I think this is what 2 Many DJs do the best. They have this ability to mix and mash up various styles and throw back at you – it can be disorientating, but at the same time a pleasure to listen to as we're taken on a musical journey into different genres and styles. The next 15 minutes illustrate my point perfectly. We initially kick things off with Fat Boy Slim’s "Star 69" and Kern Kraft 400's "Zombie Nation" – very dance orientated – but just as you get use to this, we're grooving to the funky sounds of Prince and DJ Buck. Then out of the blue The Specials' "Gangstar" turns up and injects a bit of reggae into the whole proceeding. Crazy I know, but things don’t end there! We’ve then got Cylob (funky breaks), MC Hammer and the Rolling Stones – all in a space of 3 minutes!
From this "ordered chaos" the pace slows, and the tracks become longer as we approach the finish line. However, before the album ends, we're introduced to two more musical gems. Firstly, Nitzer Ebb's "Join the Chant" is an excellent euro-house tune that is both catchy and cool. For me this track epitomises what 2 Many DJs do best – identify and introduce underground/alternative artists that are both creative and refreshing to listen to. Then there’s the final song - Saint Tropez's "Belle De Jour" – a sensational closing track – dramatic string quartet playing in the background – spoilt only by the introduction of a French guy whisper sweet nothings into you ear.
Overall this is another strong album from the brothers. It’s the sort of album that you'll either love or hate. Some may complain that the tracks are too short and it all seems like randomly skipping tracks. Others may love the combination of contrasting styles and the skilled mixing of various genres. For me i'm playing it safe and sitting on the fence – I do like this album – but not as much as their earlier work. My recommendation to new listeners is to get the older albums (for example, "As Heard On Radio Soulwax" Part 3/4/5 or the original Radio Soulwax shows). For the older fans this is a must have addition to your collection.
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