Never judge a book by its cover. It’s an old adage that rings true in every facet of life, and dance music is no exception. It’s funny how you stereotype certain albums, labels and artists; painting them with a tarnished brush of your thoughts toward them. I don’t know exactly what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this. Every so often an album comes along that surprises you, whether good or bad. This album, the third and latest installment in the Generationext series is House2Hard Theory, a double disc compilation that certainly has surprised me… For the good.

Flowing over a number of musical genres, House2Hard Theory is masterfully pieced together by Melbourne favourites Dr. Willis & Scott Alert, and one of the world’s hottest production duo’s, the UK’s Bodyrox.

Bodyrox (real names Jon Pearn and Nick Bridges) have exploded onto the house music scene with their massive club hit single Yeah Yeah. Remixed by some of the world’s best producers, most notably D. Ramirez, Yeah Yeah has torn dance floors apart the world over. Bodyrox take the reins of this first disc and the results are devastating. Having previously pigeon-holed this duo into the category of “Cheesy Ministry of Sound house/electro music” was a mistake in my part as they piece together 70 odd minutes of musical brilliance.

Too often house mix compilations are ruined by big room cheesy house numbers complimented by weak vocals, that torpedo any chance the mix has of being respectable. We’ll fear not my friends, this mix is so anti-cheese it’s nearly lactose intolerant! There’s a plethora of brilliance layered all across this electro house set. Deep, dark chugging electro house with a sinister underbelly is my own way of trying to describe it. The highlights of the mix, yes plural – highlights, are spread evenly throughout the set, the enormous Vandalism club mix of one of my personal favourites, Chicken Lips He Not In. This is one of THE best songs I’ve heard in a very long time… an absolute weapon. Moving along and production extraordinaire Sébastien Léger chips in with his deliciously tasty and aptly named new single Mars.

Moving towards the end of the set we get a double dose of Mark Knight & D. Ramirez with back2back selections, Columbian Soul and System, taking things to an aurally orgasmic level. D. Ramirez is THE hottest producer in the world of dance music at the moment. Don’t worry about different genres, this man is making waves like no one else. To finish with a cherry on top, so to speak, Bodyrox include their collaboration with Luciana What Planet U On, that ensures the mix finishes on the high pedestal it deserves.

Moving along to disc two and it’s Dr. Willis & Scott Alert’s turn to attempt, and I use that word lightly, to match where Bodyrox have left us. The resulting mix is a feather in their cap as their chunky electro house beginning transcends its way through a variety of genres before finishing explosively with some banging trance & hard dance. The Hook n Sling remix of This Town by Subsource is an early favourite. This single is a weapon that has been damaging dance floors nationwide for some time. An Australian living the dream overseas, Hook n Sling continues to produce world class dance music. Another early favourite is courtesy of two of Queenslands favourite sons, Family Nightclub resident DJs and all-round good blokes, Tydi & Baby Gee. Their track Pineapple is a solid piece that shows off of their production prowess.

Another favourite through the mix is courtesy of tech-trance superstar M.I.K.E. with his latest single, Salvation, masterfully remix by Valentino Kanzyani. Moving towards the end of the album, the last four tracks to be exact, and there’s enough time for Dr Willis to showcase 3 pieces of his production prowess. First up is his collaboration with Public Domain’s Mark Sherry, with the explosive crowd favourite, Here Comes The Drums. The Cracken is the penultimate track, this time produced in unison with Ultrasonic’s David Forbes. The last track and by no means the least, is The Rotten Egg, a nasty hard dance number that finishes the album off exceptionally.

In summary this album has absolutely blown my mind. You might think that is a little bit of over-kill but that’s how highly I regard these two discs. It’s not often you’ll find me favouring house over my beloved trance & hard dance but the Bodyrox disc is of that high a quality – that I simply have no choice. That is not to diminish the quality of the second disc, it’s just that disc one is just THAT good. It’s refreshing to have a house set on a mix compilation album that hasn’t been completely smothered with cheese. Bodyrox have set the bar as far as I’m concerned… and good luck reaching it. For the Melbourne lads flying the Aussie Flag, Dr. Willis & Scott Alert have pieced together a spectacular set that further enhances their reputation as two of Australia’s finest performers.

If you’ve already bought the album you would know what I’m talking about but if you haven’t then do yourself a favour and give yourself an early Christmas present, as this has an abundance of quality to suit anyone’s tastes. You can catch Bodyrox live in your local city right around the country for the Generationext House2Hard Theory Tour at these dates and venues:

Generationext House2Hard Theory Tour

28th Sept – Gladstone Hotel, Toowoomba
28th Sept – Plantation Hotel, Coffs Harbour
29th Sept – Rolling Rock, Noosa
29th Sept – HQ, Adelaide
30th Sept – Godskitchen (Home Nightclub), Sydney
5th Oct – Godskitchen (The Met), Brisbane
6th Oct – Godskitchen, Melbourne Park
6th Oct – Home House Nightclub, Geelong
11th Oct – The Mean Fiddler, Rouse Hill
12th Oct – Quest, Gold Coast
13th Oct – Cannon Park Race Course, Cairns
13th Oct – Time Nightclub, Darwin
13th Oct – Soho Nightclub, Cairns
19th Oct – One Nightclub – The Bended Elbow Albury
24th Oct – Syrup Nightclub, Hobart
27th Oct – The GB Hotel, Shepparton