We give you a taste of some of the US Club tracks which have been doing the rounds lately, with this double CD compilation mixed by NY based Louie DeVito covering the sounds of the moment.

This time around, I come across something different from my usual musical outings in the form of a double CD mix by Louie DeVito, a New York based DJ who has, over his past decade in the industry mixed a number of compilations covering both the house and trance spectrums.

Tracklist:

Disc 1

1. Galleon - So I Begin
2. Jason Nevins pres. Holly James - I'm in Heaven
3. Weekend Players - Into the Sun
4. Stacie Orrico - Stuck (Thunderpuss Radio Mix)
5. Dannii Minogue - I Begin to Wonder (Dead or Alive Mix)
6. BT - Simply Being Loved (Somnambulist) (Junkie XL Vocal Mix)
7. Becky Baeling - Getaway (Mike Rizzo Club Vocal Mix)
8. Deborah Cox - Play Your Part (Gabriel & Dresden Modjolation Vocal Mix)
9. Milky - Just the Way You Are
10. Dana Rayne - Object Of My Desire
11. QED - Love Bits
12. L.I.V. - Journey of Love

Disc 2

1. Winx - Don't Laugh (Robbie Rivera & Willie Morales Mix)
2. Benny Benassi pres. The Biz - Satisfaction (SAK Original Mix)
3. Andrea Doria - Bucci Bag
4. Amuka ft. Sheila Brody - Appreciate Me (NYC Roxy Mix)
5. Robbie Rivera pres. Keylime - Girlfriend (Juicy Dub)
6. Lee Cabrera - Shake It (No te Muevas Tanto)
7. Luna Mora - A Better Day
8. Mac Quayle ft. Donna de Lory - The HUrting
9. Motorcycle - As The Rush Comes (Sweeping Strings Mix)
10. Hatrixx - Pressue
11. Shakedown ft. Terra Deva - At Night (Mousse T Mix)
12. Lock & Burns - Be Free (Eddie Lock & Dylan Burns Mix)

Before starting out on this CD, I had expected a CD based solely on the NY House sound, and that is exactly what this CD starts with in the form of Galleon. Full on disco-club house is where this is at with trademark vibed vocals which is present in most of the house we come across these days.

Although house is not really my thing, this was definitely funky and got me into a club mood.

A track which is really doing it at the moment is Jason Nevin's and Holly James' I'm in Heaven, yet another retro club house track which would do well on both sides of the Atlantic, but more harder tipped trance and house fans would find this pure cheese house. Either way, if you heard this one in a club, its bound to get you dancing in a frenzy..

Louie does a nice job with the next couple of tracks, mellowing it out with Weekend Players' Into the Sun before pumping up the bass on Stacie Orrico's Stuck; which I might add contains little sign that it was remixed by Thunderpuss as it stays somewhat away from their typical poppy club house feel. The first part of Stuck isn't really worth noting, but the latter half of the track really got me interested - funky, sexy and groovy and perhaps some may find it a bit cheeky, this is definitely a top notch choice.

Going back to roots is Dead or Alive's remix of Dannii Minogue's I Begin to Wonder in all of its 80s esque glory fit for any of the old school German jocks before breaking out in Junkie XL's fine remix of BT's Somnambulist which is one of my top choices this year so far with its originality and techno oriented grooves. Thinking back to the first track, the contrast so far has been quite effective, and what comes next moulds in almost perfectly..

Noticing the increase in tempo and a little less of the house, we find Becky Baeling's Getaway, a sexy female vocal led progressive house / trance track which might remind some of a Hex Hector type of remix..

I had been anticipating the next track since I saw the tracklist; with Gabriel and Dresden firmly at the top of my lists as quality producers. Their interpretation of Play Your Part is nothing short of sensational; cool, vocal house is the theme of this one, and although this track is not completely typical of G & D's other material, the house vibes make this CD so far with plus marks in my books.

Milky's Just the Way You Are is a bit of a transition from the middle section of the CD so far, verging back into House territory with that saw-vibe, but keeping some chilled elements to put in a little flair in this pop-led production which I could see being extremely popular at big outdoor festivals like WMC or in Ibiza over this summer, although the "doo doo doo" can become quite tedious if you have it on replay all day and may drive a few people up the wall.

Another transition into vocal trance is taken on with Dana Rayne's Object of My Desire and QED's Love Bits which in case you didn't know, is a track originally produced over 15 years back, but still in top form in it's current format for the vocal trance lovers out there.

To close things off on the first disc we have L.I.V.'s Journey of Love yet another pop-led vocal trance journey, sealing the disc off in its own distinct style worthy of note.

Disc 2

Winx's Don't Laugh has been picked up by nearly every DJ over the course of its turbulent few years on the market, and Louie Devito's choice of the Robbie Rivera & Willie Morales Mix puts in one of the finer remixes out of the lots, in a bass heavy, subliminal track which is perfect for the opening buildup on the disc before we break into man-of-the-moment Benny Benassi's Satisfaction, who comes out with a track which I can't help referring to Mario Piu's Communication as the resemblance is quite distinct at certain parts of the track before getting to the annoying trumpets halfway through. Although the track does make up for some of its downfall by adding some groovy vibes towards the end, I couldn't resist pressing the fast forward button at the 5 minute mark.

More downright dirty beats in the form of Andrea Doria aka Dino Lanni and Andrea Doria in their Bucci Bag hit. More jives and vibes percuss throughout this one, but we've all heard this track by now eh?

Moving along, Amuka's Appreciate Me is the first sign of some cool vibes thus far into the second disc and at this point with its non-cheesy bass and melody and subtle influx of vocals, I was looking to see if Louie develops this lead in the next few tracks...

Robbie Rivera is a man of legendary proportions, appearing consistently at CDs and in clubs with his blend of chunky house and uplifting grooves. Girlfriend is somewhat different from what I have been accustomed to from Robbie, with most instruments stripped out with the exception of an addictive groove accompanied by a well orchestrated extended break at around the 3 minute mark which I was somewhat relieved to hear, after some of the earlier tracks.

Lee Cabrera's Shake It (No Te Muevas Tanto) which crosses back into Louie's house-trained vibes is more of a closing track than anything else even although the funky grooves are there. I have been told that No Te Muevas Tanto translates to "Do Not Move Too Much", which in fact does fit this track quite much as it keeps focused on its main sequence and to me, would be good as a buildup or final track in a long house / trance set.

Luna Mora and Mac Quayle both put in transitional tracks in the form of A Better Day and The Hurting respectively. So far the earlier parts of the CD had been more on the monotonous darker side of things, but these tracks moved things to a different level with some cool breaks and percussive melodies accompanied with some beautiful vocals from Donna De Lory in The Hurting - definitely one of the finer vocal talents in the industry.

Motorcycle aka Gabriel & Dresden and Jes Brieden I know is on the top of many people's playlists out there, with a world class production from the band which has seen everyone from Oakenfold to Tiesto pick this monster up. The Sweeping Strings remix is arguably the best one and I gratefully took all of its bliss in. Jes' vocals are sensational in any form and act as a perfect complement to the already top notch production throughout its 8 minute duration.

Then we move into what I can only describe as computer game music from the days of the grey Nintendo console in the form of Hatrixx's Pressure - I quickly moved onwards.

Although Terra Deva usually comes through on top productions such as ones with Jimmy van M, At Night didn't do it for me either. Having not heard the original, I wasn't sure whether it was the Mousse T remix or the original producers which put this one down.

Lock and Burns' Free does some justice with the Eddie Lock & Dylan Burns Mix to close of the compilation, but not after some ups and downs throughout, which made me a bit unsure about the whole thing.

Conclusion:
Although I am not a fan of club dance music, disc 1 was definitely impressive with its smoothly mixed diverse collection of club, house and trance tracks. Louie does an excellent job of track selection and the mixing was equally as top notch there. Unfortunately, what brought the CD down was the second disc - perhaps there was an attempt to add some variety and underground feel to the compilation, but it just never pulled out of the hole that it made itself, with maybe the exception of a few tracks such as As the Rush Comes In and The Hurting.

Overall, the CD was not bad, and I would buy it solely for the first disc. This would suit any club house or club trance listener and it makes a cool addition to the car stereo system with its groovy beats and cool vocals throughout.