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The third installment in Darren Emerson's Underwater series. The first was trancey, while the second was straight house. What does the third installment have to offer?
Darren Emerson, famous for his work with Global Underground, founded his own label, Underwater Records in the hope of refreshing the stagnant sound that had begun to creep into Progressive. He released the first mix-CD in the series, Underwater Episode 1, with Tim Deluxe in July of 02, and the second, with Mutiny, in May 03. Now summer is upon us, and he has released the third installment, with Paul Jackson in time for the summer rush to buy CD's.
The first CD is mixed by Darren Emerson, and keeps with Darren's commitment to excellence very well. It starts of slow, with the droning, throbbing sounds of Paul Jackson's The Way We Do It. It's farily minimal, even by house standards, but it's a great song to start the CD with. It sets the mood, and leaves the stage wide open for Darren Emerson's mix of GusGus - David. A pounding mix of Trance and House, this track has it all; a great bassline, a synth line that fits well with the bass, and the right mix of vocals and beats. Track 3, Mutiny's Dem Girls Instrumental is a quirky little number, with an old-skool feel to it. Featuring a warbling synth, and a fairly standard bassline, this track is very pleasing on the ears, despite its relative simplicity. It mixes flawlessly into the bouncy In the Vally, by Pnau. Unlike the rather light synth, this track manages to keep a dark, foreboding effect underlying the happy melody throughout its entirety. Darren Emerson's dub of That's the Trouble creeps in next, a driving, bass-heavy number, that adds a lot of depth to the mix, and prepares you for what's coming next: Greg Churchill's Budonkadonk, a tribal number that surprised me when I heard it. It features the right mix of percussion, basslines, and beats, to create a number that I bet Steve Lawler would love to get his hands on. The next song is one of Underwater's more famous productions, revamped. Random House Project and Robert Owens Longing, remixed by Darren, is a pleasant addition to the CD, with its happy bassline, great vocals, and general familiarity, I think this was one of my favorite songs on the CD. Next up is Greg Churchill's dirty little number, Body Slam. It fits it's name very well, there's no other way to describe it. The next track, also by Greg Churchill, is almost jazzy in nature. It features a short trumpet loop, and has a bit of a breakbeat feel to it. The next track on the CD really didn't appeal to me too much, only because I'm not a huge fan of Acid tracks. Rude Rkade's Beautiful (Acid Mix) and the Vocal mix is a faster, techier song, and the only reason I didn't skip the song is that the vocals amused me. Track 12, Billie by Rude Rkade was a quick, 3-minute mix, that didn't really go anywhere, except for set the stage for Tim Deluxe and Ben Onono's Choose Something Like a Star. A fairly mellow, smooth track, which flows very well with the vocals. Creeping insidously into the mix is Sharam Jey's 4 Da Lovers, a techy, vibrant song, that has a great feel to it despite it's weird, reverbing synth. Track 15, Mutiny feat. Robert Owens's Lucky is a hell of a way to go out. A simple, rhythmic vocal track, that has a "winding down for the evening" feel to it.
Paul Jackson wastes no time kicking his CD off, with one of his own tracks, no less. Blockbuster is just that, a heavy, driving blockbuster of a song, but it's nothing compared to Justin Robertson's mix of Chicken Lips - Do It Proper, an aptly named song. Do it Proper is banging, hard, and lacking nothing, a true house tune that doesn't let you down. The next track, The Spell by Robbin Thieves also keeps to it's name, the haunting vocals, the spellbinding basslines, and random noises keep this track fueled, and push you into Paul Jackson's The Non-Stop, a faster vocal tune, that serves mostly to build into Cohen and Deluxe's Just Kick, a lighter tune, with a good build, and vocals from It Just Won't Do. Next comes the trancey stormer, Le Onzieme Marche by Agoria, and remixed by Phil Kieran. If there are any trance tracks on this CD, this one is it. Not too heavy on the synths, but just enough to keep a good feeling rolling on into the next track, Snake Hips, also by Agoria. Snake Hips starts off dark, and foreboding, but when the melody starts to creep in, a bit of the trancely feeling is introduced back into the CD. When Robbin Thieves' Air Rage kicks in, however, that feeling is completely lost. Gone are the happy melodies, and light kicks, and in comes the bassline. Next up is probably my favorite track on the CD, Rock N Roll by Paul Jackson. A deep bassline that builds into a light, incredibly enjoyable House track, that could probably have passed for trance 5 years ago. And not to be outdone by Darren, Paul Jackson finishes with Funk D'Void & Chicco Secci's Emotional Content, a teriffic ending to one of the best House releases this year.
Conclusion:
Ultimately, this CD is restricted to the songs released under the Underwater label, so it doesn't quite have the same freedom that a true liveset would. The mixing was incredible, and the track selection was superb, all things considered. Put this on your to-buy list if you have even the slightest notion that you like House; it's a keeper.
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