Peewee* - DJ's Downunder Presents Vol 1 Peewee

This was one of the first mix CDs I owned. It's a typical mix by an Australian DJ - we have no scene of our own to speak of, so we borrow from almost every corner of the globe, the result being this somewhat mess of a mix (and scene, until recently). It's all happy hardcore from start to finish, but it covers so many variations on the theme that it lacks any sense of cohesion (I mean, does 'Australia' really mix all that well with 'Burning Love'? 'Take Me Away' with 'Hardcore Disco'?)

On the plus side, the majority of the tracks, taken individually, are a lot of fun. 'Cold As Ice' is as corny as they come, but never fails to get your hands up. 'Funkify', 'Back To Unity' and 'Thunderdance' are all decent Happyhard outings. But the cream on this cake really comes with the last five tracks. Peewee suddenly takes us into deep territory as we move from the more serious, yet still comical 'Let Me Suck Yours...' into 'The Ultimate', a track which, though incredibly simple and unoriginal in its arrangement, just seems to work. 'I Need Your Love' is a big, big track and though it is aimed squarely at the charts, it's got a nice big melody and tonnes of energy. 'Rejoinder' is an amazingly good track - it's moody yet maintains constant energy and just sounds fantastic. Then we come to 'The First Rebirth'. Nothing really needs to be said about this absolute classic track, so suffice it to say that between it, 'Rejoinder' and 'I Need Your Love' you have a VERY tasty, trance flavoured end to an otherwise decent-at-best mix.

Ignore the mixing - it isn't technically bad (beatmatching and phrasing is fine), but the track selection and sequencing leaves a lot to be desired. Instead, listen to this as a kind of sampler of a selection of a wide variety of happy hardcore from across the world. This came out a year before the first Bonkers album - compare the two for an idea between a more consistent track selection (Bonkers) and an inconsistent, though fun mix (Peewee's efforts here).

For those who are used to Peewee Ferris being more clubby and progressive, this will be a shock; it's definitely hardcore. But for Peewee Ferris, a man of huge and diverse talents, this should come as no surprise. This will definitely get you in the party mood.