Various - Mixed Up In The Hague Vol. 1
Review by
Pat_De_Booty
May 30, 2005
(edited over 4 years ago)
I've been intrigued by I-F as a producer and dj for many years now, ever since hearing the magnificent "I Do Because I Couldn't Care Less". This compilation mix contains some absolute gems (a favourite of mine has to be "Take a Chance" by Mr. Flagio"), and is nicely constructed and produced. The mixing is a tiny bit wobbly in places as befits all good mix cds! It's a definite throwback to a golden age of European and American electro and technopop, and should be heard by all those who rave on about the current, transient crop of retro producers.
I-F's Mixed up in the Hague vol. 1 is a brilliant collection, transporting me to the farthest reaches of the universe. considering the majority of tracks were released in the early to mid eighties, these classics are presented in a modern approach that is unparalled. this disc is purely a lesson in deejaying, programming, edits, and electronic music history. i agree with spork 100%. "every track on this cd is killer." A definite masterpiece!
I know what cop2cop means. There are points on this CD that sound pretty impossible to do with just two decks and a mixer, like when the pedal pumping and heavy breathing sounds from Tour de France are mixed in with another track right before it blends into the next track. Maybe there was an additional sampler involved or something. Also, on the CD it says "edits by Alden Tyrell," so that could mean anything. Most of I-F's mixes at Hotmix.nl do feature much longer portions of each vinyl track. But anyway, however this came about doesn't change the fact that it burns hotter and rocks harder than any other DJ mix I've ever heard.
I saw I-F spin last summer at Fun in New York, and I liked his set so much that I didn't hesitate to buy this CD without even listening to it first. I wasn't disappointed. I'm not a big fan of most DJ mix CDs, as they seem to contain nothing but brand-new tracks, most of which aren't very good and will probably sound dated, tacky, and awful two years from their release date. On "Mixed Up In the Hague Vol. 1," however, I-F only plays a couple of new tracks (by E.O.G., Alden Tyrell, and Electronome). The rest are either old-school electro by artists like Man Parrish and The Jonzun Crew, old Italo disco (e.g., Alexander Robotnick, Doctor's Cat, Klein & M.B.O., Mr. Flagio), classic disco tracks from guys like Patrick Cowley and Giorgio Moroder, or old-school anthems like "Sharevari," by A Number of Names. Most of the music on this CD is from 1980-85, but it sounds fresher and more modern than most of the stuff being played in clubs nowadays, especially since it's mixed and sequenced perfectly by a truly great DJ. Every track on this CD is killer, and that's pretty rare. I really hope there's going to be a "Vol. 2."