First I said "what is this?" Now I know.

When the beats on the A side hit, it's really pumping. Classic production from Sweden. Ever been to Gothenberg? It'll take you there anyways.

When you flip it over for the B side, that groove's even tighter. It's like oil on slick funk when the bass and the high-hats hit their groove around 1:30. It's where this track really takes over. One of those time when a B side is worth more than twice the A side.

If you really wanna pump the dance floor, reach for The Wiggs. Wigger EP took me by surprise.

Got this record in a random lot of 20 prog house records..I will address each mix of the song individually.

I find the Natious Remix of Outhere to be beyond annoying. It is a strong house song but it is spoiled by a popping drum sound, perhaps a Tom or something off a 707, that loops for the majority of the first half of the song. Just not my style..prevents me from appreciating the rest of an otherwise acceptable song. Maybe a mix-in of it past the halfway point, when that sound stops..

Steve Porter Mix..much stronger. No irritating one-shot drum. I find it reminding me of AR52's "Hibernation"..arpeggiated lower midrange arp, simple house beat, and lovely transient synth loops. This is much more refreshing than the Natious Remix. Then again, this is why the Steve Porter Mix appeared on Trance America, 2000 edition. Don't look for this track to be your big anthem or peak-hour floor pounder, though. Like AR52's Hibernation, this track tends to move steadily, without much climax or breakdown..except for a few nice beat drops, where the bass and midrange arp come crashing back in after a moment of synth.

For me, this 12" shines thanks to the B-side Porter mix..great to keep the energy going, during your set.

I cannot stop listening to this album.

I was already a packed and bagged Seelenluft fan with Manila, but this new album transcends all expectations. With the exception of one track with guest vocals, Seelenluft's Silvercity Bob alter-ego and Olivera Stanimirov sing the most catchy Euro-styled tunes you can imagine. But, it's the music that shines, here, for me.

What the first three tracks build and prepare is presented in a perfect, funky house fashion with "Mes Amis". Heavy 808 and 909 drum samples, here. Very techy. Single sixteenth note triplets offsetting the kick's quarter notes, with sharp, chopped hats are the marks of this album's beats. Thick and chunky.

The keys are all most analog, from polysaw tones to high-resonance swishes and sweeps, Seelenluft's compositions shift from funky to mysterious and back again. A true tech-electro house treat. The progressive addition and subtraction of samples emphasizes each individual sound's importance in the tracks, as well; this is no half-cut album, here.

While some tracks are more organic and some are more accessible for the dance floor, all are sure to please. Whether it's exploring the left-field territory of the House scene for your next set or just looking for something good to listen to, this album fits the bill.

The only thing missing is a little something with some Michael Smith vocals..

Featuring a blend of chilled out drum and bass and hip-hop, the Deadbeats offer up one of their most pleasing numbers with "Funky for You"..

Hovering around 95bpm, this track's beat has the infectious high-hats, snare, and bass that innitially drew me into this genre. The Spacehopper mix focuses almost exclusively on these aspects, though does not wear them out. In fact, it's a six and a half minute track that I'm very content to listen to on repeat, as the drops and phrase changes, slight as they may be, keep it fresh and funky.

"Nail's Goldfish Mix" of Funky for You offers more in the way of loops and phrase changes and is accordingly my favorite on the 12". The original beat from the Spacehopper mix is, here, chopped, built upon, and mutated into less of a static beat. The added motion does it well. The phased guitar chords also make a second appearence, here, accompanied now by a softly played piano and a rehashed, intermittent bassline creating a pleasently fresh atmosphere. In fact, these two mixes of the same song could easily follow one another in a set, directly or otherwise, and would scarcely seem to be the same six minutes as before.

On the B Side, we find two tracks that seem to represent the other side of the Deadbeats work, for me. That is to say, they are mostly bland when compared to the A-side. They don't seek to break any new ground and don't manage to do it in an interesting manner.

But, for me, this seems to be the essence of the Deadbeats. Fantastic hit or miss group, but with Funky for You, they do just what the vocal sample says..they take a little beat, somethin' simple, and make it real funky for you.

If you can find it for under $25, I'd kick you for not buying it.

Mmm, Nitrogen. I make a point of it to pull any Juno Reactor vinyls I can find, anywhere I go, due the great pleasure it gives me just to chill out to their tracks..so, that in mind, we'll try to get an unbiased review out of this. =)

This isn't for fans who will expect the old, old school Juno Reactor..you won't find any high energy protons spilling over into the atmosphere, on either of these cuts. What you will find, though, is some extremely unique and versatile music. I'll go into this song's mixing versatility, later..

Nitrogen, Part 1 can be broken into three distinct "movements". Innitially, the artists offer you a taste of the ambient, peppered with vocal samples speaking of "circular objects flying in formation" for 90 seconds or so before a sudden build up dives into one of the most positively derranged basslines I have ever heard. A standard goa bassline, back-looped..who would've thought it could sound so other worldly? That one line manages to set the flavor for the rest of the "second movement", which comes complete with beat and even more bizarre vocal samples ("eeeeah..EEEYAH. Yah..eh..pu.."). Four minutes of this deliciously psychedelic onslaught brings us to the third portion of the song where we are presented with an almost 80s-pop styled outtro. Now, don't get me wrong, this is no Duran-Duran rip; it must be the soft female vocals, heavy on the resonance and LFO that do it for me. The rhythm of the previous movement is carried through this with delicately layed highhats and effect samples that fade away into a soft, easy end for a great track.

Nitrogen, Part 2, is much more straight forward than Part 1. No real division into distinct movements. This one, though, is one hell of a goa-psy floor pounder. Want to hear some old Roland gear? Then pop this one in. The Juno Reactor boys pulled six and a half minutes worth of samples off of their vintage gear for this one. It's quite a bit more familiar to their Transmissions style fanatics. While it doesn't really offer too much variation over it's playtime, it does certainly rip your head off for the time it plays. Very aggressive with the bass, beat, and samples. No real melodic strains, here; a hard trance-esque synth line takes care of that.

All in all, I find this to be a good 12" to have in your collection. I especially enjoy mixing Part 1 in all sorts of ways..versatile as it is. Use the outtro, alone? Back loop the main movement to experience what the bassline is like when everything else is reversed? Did I mention that intro makes an awesome ethereal bleed-in for almost any style?

It's all about those circular objects..flying in formation..

Jedi Mind Tricks, the Psycho Social LP..ah, where to begin? I got my copy in the mail, today, that I purchased on eBay (probably one of the few places you'll find this one). I'm not disappointed, at all, by this one, despite having only had a chance to preview a few of the tracks. The artwork and vinyl are superb quality, but let's talk about the sound..

The sound can be described as enigmatic, dubbish, and of an unmistakably underground east coast flavor. The intro track sets the mood and the pace for this opus with its 90-100bpm sampling, heavy on the strings and the lo-fi, and peppered with samples from various sources, including movies, television, and other hip hop albums (including the Pharcyde, Can't Keep Runnin' Away). It's a melodic, hallucinogenic atmosphere, to say the least.

The flow has been described, before, as a foray into the territory of one Kool Keith, who is thanked as an influence on the back of the record, but I feel that their similarities stop there. Once you can get past that "what'd they just say?" stage and really begin to explore this album, you find that it carries a message that is spiritually and socially minded. And oh yeah, did I mention the esoteric nature of the material?

The subject matter of the tracks on this record range from various densities of existence, biblical prophecy that is less known than your Sunday School teachings, alien conspiracy theory, new age lore..you really have to hear it to believe it. For real fun, sit there looking up what the Verbal Hologram spits at you, on google.com.

Final words on this one? An underground classic, if you can get ahold of it.

I can't wait to spin this one live. I'd have to say that it's probably one of the most unique tracks that I've heard, since I got into these ingenius Frenchmen, together or solo. Hell, that goes the same for most other records I've heard. This is one of those "holy grail" cuts, for me..just listen and you'll understand.

This song just does you right, with the funky looped keys and riffs, and a real floor pounding beat. It's like turntablist vs. disco, with scratches that shuffle the phrasing up divinely. All together, a real five star release.

My only complaint is that the vinyl itself isn't as heavy or thick as some of my other 12" cuts..and didn't come in its own sleeve.