Search - Various Artists :: United Djs of America 20: Marques Wyatt

Deep Soulful House from DJ Marques Wyatt.

The Groove | Boston, MA | 02/17/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Marques Wyatt is one of the few DJs who favors laid-back, percussion-heavy house that's deeply grounded in soul with occasional Latin rhythms. And on this, his new DJ mix set, he showcases the range of his mixing talents and tastes for over 73 minutes, coming up with some true nuggets like the neo-disco bounce of E-Smoove's "Life Rhythms," Dennis Ferrer's guitar-flavored "Reach 4 Freedom," and the fave "(You Are) More Than Paradise" by Crue-L Grand Orchestra. The beats don't relent; the groove remains consistent, and the vibe is always soulful. But Wyatt gets bonus points from me for including Blaze's infectious "Breathe." Overall, "United DJs of America" doesn't hold up as well as my personal favorite "For Those Who Like to Get Down," but it's still a very good set from Wyatt, and it explains why he's one of my favorite DJs. In my school of music, it gets a B+."

This CD is DOPE!!!

scott k. | los angeles, ca usa | 04/03/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"disclaimer: marques is a friend of mine...but i swear on my life that i sincerely mean everything i say here.Deep is easily one of the best clubs in the country. There's a reason that DJ's like Little Louie Vega, Frankie Knuckles, Tony Humphries, Mark Farina, Timmy Regisford, Joe Claussell, and Miguel Migs (just to name a few) are regulars when they're in town. This CD captures the vibe of a typical night there perfectly...the only thing missing is the insanely positive vibes and crowd noise that you get if you actually go to the club. A super smooth mix with some amazing joints. Definitely pick up a copy.scott k.
(...)"

Structure and Soul: The Perfect Mix

Adam Auburn | Delaware | 06/08/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This new mix by Marques truly defines what a mix cd should be. First off, the selection. Each and every record is fully produced with attention to instrumentation, discernable melodies, and overall deep house soul. Also, all of the records share a common jazzy, afro/latin type sound... which ties everything together. However, the only true way to tie everything together is to have proper progamming and mixing, which Marques nails on this one.For programming, it's all about peaks and valleys. The mix starts off with a nice home cooked intro by Big Cee, Marques' partner in crime at Deep. "Hit it off" then grabs your attention with the vocal sample, builds slowly and steadily, and finally, it's off into a nice jazzy orchestrated jam. Most dj's would take it up a notch immediately after the first track, but Marques plays it cool with the spoken word of E-Smoove's "Life Rhythm", until it blows up with a funky bassline and the keys to match... Perfect. The rest of the programming is no different. Marques brings in the afro/latin percussion for a hot second, to remind you where he's coming from... and then it's time for the relatively subdued male vocal of "Be My Friend". Then, the crucial middle of the mix arrives... where a dj may either bore the listener or maybe just scare them away with too much energy. Marques grabs just the right records to smooth out the mix, without boring us or blowing us away."Lift Our Hands at the Sanctuary" brings the mix into the homestretch, where Marques saves the best for last, one huge notch at a time. After the the disco soul of Blaze's "Breathe" burns up the floor, it is Jazztronik's "Rita" that steals the show with it's sublime jazz step house rhythms, thus ending the mix in true class and style.Each of Marques Wyatt's mix cds in the past have shown that he knows what he is doing in the studio. I never thought that his Sound Design could be topped, but the United DJs mix shows that his passion for music has matured just enough to take him to the next level. A perfect mix of structure and soul."