Various Artists - Derrick Carter & Mark Farina Live at OM

Now last time Derrick Carter was in town, he left a few people feeling rather disappointed. There were mutterings that the Great Man of House had become a little dull and wasn’t delivering. He had an off night perhaps? Or is his music simply missing the mark? Only time and a listen will tell. This reviewer settled in to tune in and drop out for a third careful listen to the sounds of Mr Carter and his friend Mark Farina delivering two CDs laced liberally with the yowls of a happy crowd at OM.

First up was Farina, who started off in a roughly bleepy fashion with the quaintly named No Farting in the Ice Fort (a wise suggestion, perhaps). A quick shift into the funky, playful and jazz-tipped Vanguard Nights and the breath-box and sexy-lady laden The Sessions must have got a few asses jiggling in the crowd, if the noise was anything to go by. The next offering from the Lawnchair Generals took me back to that many nights at Geisha (a good or a bad thing, depending on where you sit) but I wasn’t so enamoured with the acidic sounds from Phil Weeks. The muted and fairly restrained Old School Jam and Chicago Methods laid an emphasis on pared-down beats, probably much to the delight of the purists, until a gentle shift back into dancier sounds. There was still very little layering, however, with Farina relying on simple beats, vocals and clever little breaks to drive the sound along.

Vibezelect suddenly took things up a notch, with the peacefully funky Do What You Know, and aided a shift into Martin Venetjoki’s rockin’ Love Shit. Skipping over the more dubby times, I found myself hanging around the lounge-lizard end of the disc, enjoying To-Ka Project’s Revolution and the fabulous piano soul of Troydon M’s Waxed. A little electro moment with L’il Mark didn’t dull the pace, and neither did the whispered sleaze offered by Ken, Diesel and Desmet. By the time I reached the last track, aptly named Alcohol (would need some by now after all this dancin’) I was feeling like more of a fan than before.

Then it was time for Derrick. Would he handle the fire or need get the hell out of the kitchen? With no pussy-footing around, he launched straight into Telefunky, a rather marvellous track by Freaks. By track three, Just One Look, it became apparent that Carter’s CD could possibly be more electro-driven than Farina’s, and laced with growly vocals lending a certain air to proceedings. Another pared down offering with freaky mike vocals soon followed, mashed into a great mix with Somore’s I Refuse.

Happy-piano moments abounded in track seven Through Changes, shifting onto franco-flavanoids Daft Punk and on to a mediocre mix of Feel the Same. A stuttering few minutes burst back into life with the addition of a couple of tracks by Stacy Kidd, including the lovely, sax-laden Let Love Enter – disco like it should be. The enormous build and break of Simon Says Bounce is let down somewhat by raspy production values (perhaps everyone was bouncing), but the sound quickly recovers in time for another track by the Freaks, who list their influences – De La Soul, My Ma, Grandmaster Flash, ZZ Top and Culture Club among others – in time to some fine beats and blooping.

It’s clear there is a bit of roots homage paying going on here – with tunes titled Computer Madness, Classic Vibe and 80s Throwback it isn’t hard to see a recurring theme. But it is slightly back to the future with a great acid mix of Breathe Don’t Stop, which is going to funk up any album it appears on. From there, it is a slightly complex cruise to the finish, over choppy waters. So what is the verdict? Well, the crowd were slightly less virulent on this album, probably silenced as they concentrated on making their feet move in time to faster, more intricate beats. I suspect Derrick Carter could be a slightly introverted maestro, if the complexities of his mixing are taken into account. Still, for the fans at home wanting a trip through time, this package is pretty good value.