Hed Kandi
returned this month with the release of their second classics album. The
appropriately named Hed Kandi Classics
Volume II was released on the 14th of November and showcases some of the
dance genre's finest moments stemming from the late 90s right through to the
end of the next decade.
As the first
disc of the box set kicks off with Free
by Ultra Nate, we are treated to a very laid back tune; close your eyes and
you're off to an exotic beach somewhere far away. The bongos used in the Ben
Macklin track Feel Together
definitely solidify this feeling. But where are the ‘classics’ in all of this?
This just feels like a chill out album, right? Wrong! You don't have to go far
before you hear some funk bass in Alan Braxe & Fred Falke's Intro, however it never feels like
you're being snatched away from your exotic beach.
The effort
that goes in to mixing this CD shines through as each track blends perfectly
together: funk baselines, saxophone samples and big disco vocals go hand in hand
with the bongo drums and white noise of the more chilled out portions of Disc
1. You can understand why Hed Kandi dub this the "Friday" CD. While they
don't throw you right in the middle of an Ibiza festival, these songs give you
a euphoric feeling, building up to the party that's yet to come with the
"Saturday" portion of this 3 CD set.
And as soon
as Disc 2 starts, you get that party feeling. How could you not when you're
kicking things off with The Girls by
Calvin Harris? Now, with a song that was released in the last decade, it may
not seem too ‘classic’ either, but the DJs at Hed Kandi do it again by picking
a modern song they know will get everyone in the right mood. The use of real
bass helps keep up the classic disco feel, and, when choosing a song from an
album called Acceptable In The 80s,
you're never really going to go wrong.
Disc 2
definitely has a more modern feel to it, with a lot of songs coming from the
last decade. But, at the risk of feeling old, you should remember that 2000 was
over 10 years ago, and while buying a ‘classics’ album in the noughties you
would frequently hear hits from the start of the nineties. Some of the biggest
dance numbers from the past decade are presented here, with songs from the
likes of Armand Van Helden, Mylo and Bob Sinclair. But because the choices are
so spot-on, even the newest of tracks has a classic vibe.
Disc 3 is a
"Classics Remixed" disc and is mixed by Hed Kandi newcomers Ghosts of
Venice. This part of the box set has a definite 'chill out' feel to it, even
more so than the start of the "Friday" mix. Despite being another
great selection of mixes and remixes, it is very similar to the first disc and left
me feeling a little let down that there wasn't another obvious change, like
that between Discs 1 and 2. Each track has the same ‘exotic beach’ feel, with
that hint of disco that was so appreciated earlier on in the box set, but now
leaves a feeling of déjà vu. Tracks like Don't
Stop The Music by Ghosts of Venice and Put
Your Hands On by No Halo give a very welcome taste of electro and house as
the album comes to a close, as previously heard on Disc 2.
Perhaps if I
had listened to this in the appropriate setting, a house party maybe, I could
really appreciate the music of the last disc. But as with any dance compilation
by the 3rd disc it was starting to sound very samey. With this in mind Disc 3
was listened to again on its own, not following the previous two. Now, the
sounds of disco guitars and chill out pads are very welcome as white noise
washes over you like the waves on that exotic beach.
Hed Kandi Classics Volume II, as a package, is a brilliant
selection of songs that show off the talent of the producers who create them
and the DJs that choose them, and its only downfall is the same that any dance
compilation box set will suffer. Listen to this album 1 or 2 discs at a time, perhaps,
and you've struck gold with a selection of electro, chill out and disco-esque ‘classics’
that can't fail to impress.
JL
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