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Smooth uplifting house. The description could reasonably and easily stop there – but it probably wouldn’t do this mixed compilation any justice at all. Mixed by rising house DJ Quentin Harris, this is the launch CD of a brand new Coast2Coast series out of the NRK label. Comprising of a solid 13 tracks and running just under 74 minutes, it is the perfect summer mix – mellow, yet addictive – and the perfect backdrop to a summer’s night.
A producer and resident at New York’s Shelter Club, Quentin Harris mixes it all up nicely, and although he really doesn’t get out of third gear, honestly – that’s half the attraction here. He kicks things off by keeping it in New York, with Kerri Chandler’s ‘Oblivion’ – where deep bass reigns supreme. Followed by the MK remix of ‘You Took My Love’ by Bizarre Inc – unadulterated house at its brilliant best – and the CD begins to looking increasingly solid. Byron Stingly (former front man of the legendary Ten City) pops up next, and you learn why this was the man that was once dubbed ‘the supreme voice of house music’; his ‘Hate Won’t Change Me’ – is a cracker of a song, and his vocals take over.
The best feature of this mix is that it sounds like a real set – a bit from column A, a bit from column B, but the overall dynamic remains constant. Minus 8’s ‘Runaway’ is a solid effort in what you’d arguably term as lounge meets house – and it marks a gentle (nothing is too in your face on this CD) shift in direction, with things picking up just enough – and just enough to not be too surprised when you then get Mick Jagger’s vocals all over the Jacksons’ ‘State of Shock’. It sets the rhythm for what would easily be the middle of the set – leading up nicely to my favourite track with Colton Ford’s ‘Gotta Do’: again, awesome vocals, chilled house, and a deep bass that keeps you going.
Just when things are picking up, they begin to settle down just as quickly; but they go out with a double-header that is spot on. Planet Patrol’s “Play at your own risk” is right on the money – the first taste, albeit a subtle one, of some electro, and it’s the perfect foil for the penultimate track: Quentin Harris’ own “Haunted”, proving that not only can this guy mix them, he can also make them. As it all wraps up with Blaze’s ‘Lovelee Dae’ – good stuff – you realise that while you may not have reached amazing highs, the mixing is flawless, it is house and soul morphed together nicely, and all up, produces an overwhelmingly relaxing, comfortable house experience.
If you’re a fan of the more subtle style of house, load this one on a warm summer’s evening, lay there, watch the world go by, and there will be very little to complain about.
