- This is the first mix comp from party crew Secret Sundaze, who have been in the business of keeping Londoners away from the telly on Sundays for six years now. Which is to say, this is long overdue. A two CD set mixed one apiece by residents Giles Smith and James Priestley, both sides of 'Secretsundaze Vol. 1' are in the newly rejuvenated deep house vein, with the additional bonus that you won't find many of the tracks here on other mixes. In an age of increasingly generic DJing, that is a huge plus.
Giles Smith's mix is the more housey of the two. The breathy opener 'Automne' by Monne Automne sets the tone: this side is about pulsating, throbbing low-BPMs. It's a great intro and nice use of a record that came out in 2004, a point which defines both sides here - unlike neo-deep house mixes this year by Sebo K ('Back Up Vol. 1') or Jamie Jones ('Get Lost Vol. 2'), both Smith and Priestly emphasise older records rather than the newest of the new. There are also a lot of "real" instruments and long, slow mixes, which recall the glory days of the genre. Ian Pooley's 'Don't You Be Afraid' is a particular highlight, capturing the nostalgic feel with vintage vocals and chorded strings, while X-Press 2's dub of 'Love and Happiness' is a classic feelgood funky cut, which will delight old MAW heads as well as newcomers to the genre. The CD finishes with an epic Mr. Fingers number, with tight chords and piano keys that speak of the future while being mindful of the past. Very nice indeed.
James Priestley's mix is also analogue and vintage sounding, but on a more Balearic tip, with detours away from 4/4 house into funk, soul and disco territory. One highlight is Priestly and Dan Berkson's remix of 'My Friend Is A Seahorse', which is nicely clean and organic, but if you're not a disco fan, you'll have to be careful: there are a couple of tracks (the Greg Wilson cut especially) on which the boogie quotient is set a little too high. Later the mix moves into modern house, with Andomat 300 & Jan's 'Entr'acte Music' upping the minimal quotient, before the mix gets all Italo for a moment - I almost expected Robotnick's 'Problems D’amour' to surfaced as it has been a SS staple for years. Priestly's mix finishes off all with the zigzag chords of 'Feel the Drive' by Doctor's Cat, a vocal and jackin' Italian cut with real heart and analogue personality. It's funny to think that this was made the year I was born.
Overall, 'Secretsundaze Vol. 1' does the SS party justice and loyal revellers will not be disappointed. The mixing is tight and the programming well thought out on both sides. My only reservation is that this should be 'SS Vol. 3' not 'SS Vol. 1' - this party stopped being a secret years ago.
TracklistCD1 mixed by Giles Smith
01. Monne Automne - Automne
02. Boris Werner & Lauhaus - Legeres )
03. The Offsetters - Love Ritual (Westpark Unit Dub)
04. Chupacabra - The Bigger Man
05. Einzelkind - Lumumba
06. Johnick - Johnick Planet
07. Counter Plan - 90 degrees (DJ Q Mix)
08. Ian Pooley - Don't You Be Afraid
09. Giles Smith presents Two Armadillos - Warriors
10. RiverOceanft.India - Love and Happiness (X-Press 2 Supadub)
11. Strobelight Network - Colder (Gabriel Ananda & Dominik Eulberg Remix)
12. Will Saul and Tam Cooper - Sequential Circus
13. Larry Heard - Saga of The Evil Queen
CD 2 mixed by James Priestley
01. Reverso 68 - Piece Together (Part 2)
02. Studio - Life's A Beach (Todd Terje Beach House mix)
03. Dante & Dhula - The Basics' (Smokin' Pasties Remix By The Mole & Dhula)
04. Catalyst - Silly Games - Angel Version (Remixed By Ripperton)
05. Kissogram - My Friend Is A Seahorse (James Priestley & Dan Berkson's Dub)
06. Franck Roger - Rawsome
07. Manuel Tur - Acorado
08. Future Beat Investigators - All I Want
09. Yello - Lost Again (Greg Wilson Edit)
10. Michoacan - 2 Bullets
11. Andomat 3000 & Jan - Entra'acte Music
12. Kaos - Panopeeps
13. Redshape - Dog Day
14. James Priestley & Dan Berkson - Chariots
15. Doctor's Cat - Feel The Drive