Who's heard of chicago house
D. Gibbons, III | 04/17/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I'll try to spell everything right, unlike other reviewers. These cds are a good example of Chi-town jackin house music. Farina is pretty good, but if DC doesn't get your head noddin' to the point where you almost get in a car accident, than there's something wrong with you. Go listen to Oakenfold, or Tiesto, and wave some glowsticks around. Bangin!"
Mark and Derrick Show How It's Done.
The Groove | Boston, MA | 08/02/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"A friend of mine once asked me why I prefer house music over hip hop, and my response was easy: house is more free flowing, more sensual, and, quite frankly, a lot more fun to dance to. A case in point is the excellent "Live at OM" set by two of house music's most respected DJs: Derrick Carter and Mark Farina. These are two CDs of hypnotic grooves that are mixed seamlessly, as we've come to expect from DJs of this caliber. The first disc comes from Mark Farina, who gives us some twisted and nasty grooves in the form of "Revolution" by To-Ka Project, "F--- Hodges" by Jason Hodges and Jacob London's "No Farting in the Ice Fort." Derrick Carter gets his moment to shine on the second disc, and it's the slightly better of the two. We get some really pounding beats on killer tracks like "Simon Says Bounce" by Kings of Tomorrow, "Classic Vibe" by Backroom Production and "Telefunky" by Freaks. While both DJs are clearly different in style, the compliment each other nicely on "Live at OM." It's also fitting that this recording took place on Valentine's Day, because the project sounds like it was done with lots of love and affection. One of the best house compilations I've heard this year so far."
In the House
Chris Donnermeyer | Flagstaff, AZ | 09/22/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"There is nothing like buying a DJ mixed cd and knowing that it was mixed on turntables by the actual DJ and not programmed using computer software. Both Farina and Carter show why they are true house kings on their respective discs, mixing live as a true DJ does. Most of the tracks are great and the flow is smooth and danceable.
Still, some tracks on both discs lack originality and are quite boring. Also, the mixing is not impeccable, like many people seem to think. Granted, the sets were recorded live, but many of the mixes from both DJs are sloppy. My only other critique of this CD is that neither DJ appears to be taking house music to a new level. This has become a plague for electronic music the last several years and no DJ or producer has taken the initiative to step up and try to change it. While I love and respect both DJs for what they have done for house music in the past, this CD shows that, at this point, their creative endeavors have plateaued."
Track Listings (19) - Disc #1