Search - Tall Paul :: Duty Free 1

Superb, upbeat house->trance->house journey

10/28/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"British DJ Tall Paul has created a mix that fits the bill of "instant house party" more than any other mix-disc I own (e.g. Global Undergrounds); while there will always be individuals who will turn down the heady, thick trance of Sasha & Digweed or Nick Warren, and there will always be those who think they have something better to do than hit the floor to Tenaglia's darker beats, I challenge anyone to resist the mind-bogglingly happy, funky house that kicks off this disc (play the samples for a taste); catchy vocal samples, chunky bass lines, and the sound of London clubs packed with party-people jumping up and down with their hands in the air.By the time everyone's settled in and sweaty, things unpredictably take a turn for the spacier and trancier (presumably, by that time, everyone should be off their gob). You might recognize Durango-95's "5:55" is a track commonly used by the likes of Paul Van Dyk to launch a 5 a.m. dancefloor into hyperspace.From then on, it's bolshy prog-trance buildup after bolshy prog-trance buildup (given or take a housey vocal loop) until, presumably, parts of the head-bobbing crew will snap out of it and think "wait! this started out as a house disc! wot's with all these wobbly pooshy 'I'm soaring through space' melodies then?" By that time, hopefully, you will be at the end of "The Sound", at which point a masterful use of lorry sound effects drive around in the mix for about a minute until a wild-eyed fair maiden screams at the top of her lungs and issues back the bottom-heavy funk planet. "Stomping System" gets a short reprise, fades out and then it's time for everybody to lie around on the floor smooching. All right then."

In it's own class, Tall Paul Duty Free

10/06/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This was a random buy for me, one I bought just browsing through Amazon. But it's probably the best buy I've ever made. The tunes are just brilliant and the mixing is as good as can be, Tall Paul at his greatest. For real appreciation, it's best listening to this as loud as you can, it's pure club material."