Spins: Album reviews

Defected In The House Amsterdam 2009

Artist: Mixed by Hardsoul & Chocolate Puma
Title: Defected In the House 2009 Amsterdam
Label: Defected
Genre: House/Minimal/Techno

Ask any music pundit or fanatical clubber about they’ll tell you – Amsterdam is where it’s at. It’s most definitely becoming Europe’s new dance capital – a city of sin that hosts Europe’s biggest Dance Festival. This combined with the city’s infamous edgy lifestyle makes it almost an irresistible proposition for many young pleasure seekers.

Now on its 30th release, the Defected In The House series enlists Hardsoul and Chocolate Puma – two of Holland’s most respected dance music artists – to mix their compilation before the Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE). A true peak time dance floor experience.

The city has seen a strong upsurge in dance music events, new club openings, festivals and even beach parties of late. The quality control is as high as usual on these 2 CDs, with tracks chosen from a wide range of styles.

The Jinx feat. Carla Prather “Got To Do Better”, John ‘Julius’ Knight & Roland Clark “This Is House”, & the minimal DJ T “Dis” are standouts on CD1 mixed by Hardsoul. Although the intro may be slightly slow for some, when the groove arrives it literally pounds its way into the mix. It’s filled with the main ingredients of madness and massive bouncy bass-lines that’ll vibrate back and forth on your sound system leaving your booty shimmering uncontrollably.

It perfectly sums up the Amsterdam partying scene with such diverse music, all the while being essentially “Defected.” The CD ends with Baggi Begovic’s “Chaos”, brilliantly leading us into Chocolate Puma’s mix.

Top ten producers and DJ’s Chocolate Puma keep the Minimal/Tech House vibe that has been shaking dance floors all around Europe over the past years. There are no less than 9 Chocolate Puma tracks on this release (mainly on CD2) and they keep churning them out every time they emerge from the studio. Their latest being a tasty soulful cut, “Disco Electrique”. If this offering is anything to go by, Defected should have an influential time in Amsterdam.

“Big Bam Boom” by Jark Prongo also leaps out at me. It truly shows off the skill going from the Minimal side of club music and then into the top ten hit “I Wanna Be U” (2009 Rework).

The double CD mix finishes with a fantastic remix of D.H.S’ “House of God” by S50 an absolutely phenomenal way of ending this mix.

- Smalz

www.defected.com

Purchase:

Amazon
MP3 /CD