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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
a house/techno mix that shakes up the GU formula, June 6, 2000
This review is from: Uruguay (Audio CD)
Interestingly enough, it's the 15th release from the Global Underground series that will perhaps gather the most inspection. It's not immediately apparent, of course, as Darren Emerson isn't a household name by DJ standards. But consider that he's part of Underworld, one of electronica's biggest bands, then add the surprise that he left them after a wildly successful 1999 to further explore his DJ career, and the scrutiny of this, his first new solo effort, would be suitably intense. Emerson has mentioned his love for deep house music, but understands that's not the style expected from a Global Underground release. That doesn't deter him from dipping into the vault for Orb's classic "A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules From the Centre of the Ultraworld." "Twister" swiftly drags you out of your comfort zone, a squelchy chugger with disconcerting farmer prose- not too odd when you follow Orb. Things lean further to chunky house with the simple and exciting "Take a Chance" and the funky "Funk Your Body," which would fit perfectly in a DJ Dan set. "Tall Stories" keeps the pace with clever breaks, filters going wild, and a clap beat. "Carnaval" is respectable but basically serves to switch gears for listeners. "Groove Y'All" has a refreshing, delightful classic disco sound, and is followed by Meeker's delicious thumping vocal number "Save Me." I suspect this to be a huge track for 2000. The quality continues with Saints & Sinners "Pushin Too Hard," and cools you down with "Decipher Language." Speedy J's "Rise" is the first awkward stumble in the set, sounding outdated and out of tune. The disc ends with a disappointing curve thrown at you, the loud techno of Dave Angel's "Rematch" and the spooky "Altered States." Not bad songs, but why end the fun? Disc 2 is a race to get through 17 tracks, starting over with the bouncing bassline of "Soul Grabber Part 3" and the seamless mix to a catchy David Duriez tune, barely lasting two minutes before the dreamy "Cloud 99" drifts in and out for the nice music/cheesy talking on "Dance naked." Later on, "French Kiss" is sure to grab your attention, though women moaning to a building beat is nothing new. Here the disc loses focus: Things turn deep halfway with "It Doesn't Half to End," hit a series of decent filler ("The Compass" excepted) and veer into techno before relaxing with the laid-back "Let's Break." Finally things perk up at the end, "Electrophonic," Westbam's "Mr. Peanut" , and the inspired chaos of "Get real." Not a great tune, but anything with acid squiggles, singing, and a Speak-n-Spell (!) gets kudos. So we end up with a set that's house on one side, techno on the other, sounding neither like Underworld nor the trance releases making up the GU catalog to date. It's a shame that the fun and energy of the excellent first CD, clearly a winner, is abandoned to show he can spin a more serious, "professional" set via the second. Darren Emerson proves he can mix tracks for your home listening with this quality release, but his best is probably yet to come. It will be interesting to see what happens as he further develops his style.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Deceptively beautiful..., September 3, 2000
This review is from: Uruguay (Audio CD)
When my friend introduced this GU to me at the time of its release, I was largely uninterested in it because I am a trance man. If I buy a Global Underground CD, I expect it to be a quality trance CD due to both the DJ's and the track selections. But trance, especially in 2000, has moved to a more housy, nevertheless progressive sound. Emerson delivers this type of sound with outstanding mixing and track selection. CD1 begins with a classic from the Orb and moves through track selection that touches the genres of funk, house, and trance. The quality of this CD relies primarily on its track selection rather than its mixing. The songs are so disparate that they would be difficult for even Sasha to mix seamlessly. Tracks 1,3,7,8 and the last track are pumpin, energy-filled tracks that show Emerson's versatility in house, progressive house, groove-driven funk, and vocal trance. CD2, however, is a more uniform mix (like Sandra Collins' Lost in Time or S+D's Northern Exposure Expeditions Set) that immediately erupts into a housefest, comparable to Carl Cox and Danny T. His mixing skills come out in full force on this CD, and this is one of those CD's, unlike CD1, that can not be skipped to track 4 or 6 to hear that particular track. True mixed gems must be listened to in one sitting or dancing to fully appreciate the quality of both the mix itself and the overall set. BUY THIS CD FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS: 1. It has the mixing of Sasha's GU:SF (on Disc 2) and the track selection of Seaman's Buenos Aires GU (on Disc 1); 2. Like Digweed's Bedrock, it showcases two styles on two separate CD's (housy, groovy funk and progressive house/trance) 3. Finally, like Digweed's Hong Kong GU, which is honestly my favorite electronca CD, it will probably change the face of trance and progressive house. This CD will join the likes of Massive Attack, the Orb, Aphex Twin, Oakey, and Diggers in shaping the future of electronica. THANK YOU, MR. Emerson!!
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not what you'd expect!, July 15, 2000
This review is from: Uruguay (Audio CD)
Goodbye Underworld ::sniff sniff:: Hello Darren Emerson, the one man solo band....er, uh DJ! I've always been slightly partial to Emerson! He's constantly managed to bring about a large amount of interest, due mainly to his signature sound. So when I received word that he was putting out a "Global Underground" album, I HAD to get my hands on a copy! So off we go, into the first disc of the compliation: CD 1 begins with an odd and very unusual Orbital remix of the Orb's "A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules From the Centre of the Ultraworld" . When you first pop in the CD, you are expecting something slower as the song builds with female vocals. Somewhere along the line (almost two minutes into the track) out of no where the bass line kicks in and you enter the realm of Darren Emerson. He begins to take the listener on a disco-house adventure, not for the average bear! Emerson flawlessly blends each selection together, setting the precise mood for a funky disco feel. He pushes and pulls the listener into the uncharted dimensions of house as he moves on into Bert Dunk's "Groove Y'all." By this time, if the listener isn't up and dancing.....they are probably dead. This is the beginning of the climax for the first CD. After "Groove Y'all," he moves on into a Garage sounding tune "Save Me" by Meeker. As the sound twists and turns it also becomes intriguing to the inner ear. Honestly, if you're listening, chances are you're dancing as well! The second CD is more of a professional approach to the hard funk that Emerson has come to love. He, himself, has said that he enjoys the hard funk, so it seems fitting that he has selected tracks from the depths of that genre. The first CD definitely has the right amount of flavor to appeal to EVERYONE, while the second CD really appeals only to the destined listeners of hard house. In all actuality, the second CD is a bit darker and a bit harder, but it also has the same style and flare that Emerson demonstrates through his DJing. With tracks from Dave Clarke, Anti-Trance Terrorists, Freeland Science, Westbam, and Paul Rutheford, Emerson proves he can mix a more professional set to give the listener a little taste of his world. Of all of the 15 Global Underground albums, this one most likely will tack onto it a tremendous amount of high acclaim from critics. He can thank his Underworld background for that one! Global Underground continues to produce some of the finest DJ mix compliations to date. I just hope that the best has yet to come!
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