Rating:
Genre:
Electronica
Release Date: 10/31/2006
German producer/DJ
Henrik Schwarz has never been secretive about his inspirations. During 2002 and 2003, when he was just beginning to strike out with his own material, he released a
Marvin Gaye-sampling track titled
"Marvin," a
Jon Lucien-sampling track titled
"Jon," and a rather audacious (and excellent)
Moodymann ripoff titled
"Chicago" -- which sampled a
Roy Ayers song titled
"Chicago." As evidenced by his first official DJ mix, he sees most of his interests as parts of one big whole, not unlike
Kirk Degiorgio -- who views the early developments within
techno as an extension of
jazz -- or tastemaking
BBC DJ
Gilles Peterson.
Schwarz leans just a little closer toward the left than either one of his peers, and he dips in and out of very specific niches as well as either one of them. Even if he cheats a little, by implementing the use of a drum machine to provide added (if not distasteful) thump to the likes of
James Brown's
"Since You've Been Gone," Doug Hammond's
"Wake Up," and
Marvin Gaye's
"You're the Man," Schwarz impressively and thrillingly winds his way through the varied selections. Roughly 18 minutes separate
D'Angelo's hotbox
soul from
Drexciya's subaquatic
techno, while
Moondog's oddball
"Bird's Lament" leads directly into
Double's even-more-oddball
synth pop. The best feature of the disc is how it keeps its best sequence in reserve until the near-end.
Luther Davis Group's
"You Can Be a Star" rises from the rattling and clanging of
Pharoah Sanders'
"Summun Bukmun Umyun," rasping and flailing like one of the greatest low-budget roller-
disco tracks ever made. The intensity level rises ever so slightly for
"Get Around to It," a loose-limbed track that hangs on
Arthur Russell's combination of naïve vocals and perverse lyrics, which melds into
Womack & Womack's
"Conscious of My Conscience" -- a whispered, practically psychedelic late-'80s
soul nugget that holds the unique distinction of simultaneously exemplifying
quiet storm and
disco despite being made years after the passings of both eras.
~Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
;)
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