An overview of the label thus far
Scott Jeune | kerhonkson, ny | 02/22/2003
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Classic and rare is an interesting double mix album with Jori Hulkkonen handling the classics while Laurent Garnier selects the rare tracks- not necessarily "mixed" per se, but that works to the album's advantage in that you get to hear truly rare tracks without being limited to just songs that beatmix well. On disc one, Jori gives us Avril's "Velvet Blues" as a starter, very chilled but with a Radiohead kinda beat. This style continues through "Sugar Fuel" but with a Dave Gahan style vocal with some really uneasy lyrics ("I'm on your side so let me punish you"). The full on techno comes in with Elegia, which moves to a short burst of Mr. Oizo, because for real we've all heard this song, like, a million times in 99, but then Jori's skills are pushed to the front when he moves slowly into Llorca's track, bringing it more to a "party vibe". The house gets shakier as the booms get deeper with "Let Me Love U", the place where disc one sets in for the biggest vibe swell, and after the epiphany moves into Alexkid's track, which almost has a Ubiquity sound. It seems "Silvery Sounds" is put in next to represent slithering old school techno, and it is one of those tracks that is perfectly named, and moves into The Youngsters, who it seems to me is placed here as a contrast between this songs more tech house sound and the last track's (dare I say it) nostalgia. "Wasteland" goes beat heavy with an acid influence, and could be a minimalist counterpart to FSOL's "We Have Explosive", and we are let off the hook with "Nana's Waltz", sent off to a more comfortable place.
This segues into the rare stuff with the same artist's "All Around Me" which is a retweaking off the last song. It moves from there into the challenging "Sabar" a track which is mainly percussion but is more condusive to listening than dancing. "Shelter" however, maintains a more traditional beat, with vocals that keeps things from getting repetitive, but the temperature drops with "Communication from the Lab" a whooshy techno track that is like Mr. Oizo but with more substructure. "Electronic", to me, is the standout of the album, going into the space where you can see a warmer techno emerging with the addition of vocals and a more song oriented style, which moves into "Plaid", one of the smoothest songs from recent memory (carrahar's vocals are standout). "Ambrosia" falls flat however as it is derivative in that it is a little too "Pacific State" for me, going into Hosh, some very angular, by the number's techno. The next track is Garnier's "Crazy Bacon" which has Jeff Mills all over it putting in his I'm stuck in a claustrophic dark place sound, and the disc exits with DJ Kudo, whose "Tiny Loops" squiggle all over the place, but the high end sounds to me like a few hundred people trying to get the bride's attention. But wait, and keeps listening, because you'll get to hear a secret remix (and how!) of that old Streisand/Summer tune "No More Tears(Enough is Enough)", one of the craziest refreakings I've heard in awhile using Bab's high note entended over the beats as contrast. Yup, you heard me right. So enjoy... A great album for driving home from the club...not to mention a nice thank you and retrospective from a forward thinking label. Enough groove to chill, enough going on to keep ya thinking."
