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(trustthedj.com/EQ/Stomp)
Pete Tong is one of the UK’s most knowledgeable music industry personalities. His twenty year career has seen him manage the likes of Bananarama, launch his own record label FFRR (releases included Salt’n’Pepa’s – Push It), a well regarded DJ career and above all else his highly respected BBC Radio 1 show Essential Selection which after ten years on air is still running stronger than ever.
Essential Selection (Red) is the second of these concept mixes that Pete has put together for the TrusttheDJ crew.
The combination of having produced a mix that is largely influenced by his current successes in Ibiza as well as myself not being a huge Pete Tong fan, I pretty much walked in to this with somewhat of a preconceived prejudice. How wrong I was to assume the worst.
This is a great compilation of tracks that covers a damn wide music library which Pete obviously has access to. I think he does more justice this time round to the TrusttheDJ crew than he did with the labels best selling mix to date, Essential Selection (Blue).
The escalating sonic chord of Echofalls – Shiver repeats with intriguing simplicity like a pulse does to a beating heart. What an awesome track from Cuba Recordings! Pete then changes the mood with a quirky slice of retro electro funk, also known as Bobby Peru – Jack to the Future ... and a dirty sleazy dose of dark minimal electro fun from the Playhouse label, Rework – You’re So Just Just.
A glimpse of house sunshine creeps through with Beatz iN Peacez from Peace Division. Spoken word vocals and a constant squeal of industrial metal dominate the layers of warped funk base lines.
The techno flavour floods the mix with a remix by Jesper Dahlback of Phonogenic – Generations. The electro chorus blends in this track add a rich texture of sound to the story within the track. More techno funk follows with The Usuals – MJC Silco, electric piano en mass, keyboard synth chords, percussion madness and a layer of Spanish guitar. Both of these are respective highlight tracks for me that I’d love to hear played out on any dance floor large or small.
The mood of the mix switches back to a deep level of dub with the aptly titled Darkroom Dubs – Darkroom Dubs. Soon to follow is a bazar and energetic hands in the air house track 4TUNE500 – Dancing in the Dark, coupled with flashes of Latin percussion. These later influences of a tarty Ibiza summers night continue till the end of the mix … capping it off with what has undoubtedly been a contender for this years Greek disco anthem of summer, Despina Vandi – Gia (DJ Gregory mix).
If you can live with the small glimpses of Ibiza shtick on this mix then you’ll find it to be a rewarding selection of tracks that Pete has thrown together from the comforts of his holiday abode.
