Isn't LIGHTS OUT the theme for Earth Hour?

It'll be better if this compilation has the spunk of the first lights out to it.

Agreed GF - 'Dark Drums' and the first 'Lights Out' were sleazy and...well...dark. LO vol 2 and 3 were shite.

I still listen to the first Lights Out, and Dark Drums too. The only compilation of his after the 1st Lights Out that I enjoy is the 2nd disc of Viva. That disc really had me hoping for a bit of come back, but I have been disappointed with Viva Toronto and London.

nice!! looking forward to it!!

He should've put Orgasm on here just because...

wicked

tech stuff

the firts compilation of the serie was incredible, dark and tribal as only steve could be! unleash the king of space

What about 'Sex On The Beach' and 'Dance Naked'?

Yeah. This would have been a must-buy for me if he'd made one disc a classic Lights Out-styled affair.

Awesome he's finally bringing it back!

looking forward to this one

Nice!! Always a great compilatio.

Not on Global Underground like the last 3 comps in the series, I hope he retains the 'sound' of the original 3, dark and sinister...just the way I like it.

'while his ViVA Music label consistently churns out percussive house tracks seemingly designed solely for Lawler to pad out his sets' <- this is so true hahaha

ahaha

the first lights out comp is still with no doubt the best one, reminds me when steve was the king of space terrace!

I think the reviewer is more bent on telling the world about his disdain for rival, percussive, and progressive house and perpetuating that notion, than actually appreciated Lawler for what he does. What DJ doesn't set up label to 'pad' their sets...Hhhhmmmm, like minded music perhaps? God forbid DJ' become fine purveyors of the music they like and have that be perpetuated by signing similar artists. What a fuckin moronic statement. "Lawler might actually get to the end of a set"; "back to business as usual"; and "Anyone else is most likely to sympathise with the sampled voice speaking about "fighting our way back to the light" on David Lara's "Three Minutes." They might as well be talking about being suffocated by the obdurate thuds of the music around them as being buried underground."... Illustrate nothing more than pointed cheap-shots at a great DJ. BTW, have you actually seen Lawler spin since the late 90's?...or ever for that matter? Lights out is a themed compilation, not an excursion into avant garde dubstep, introspective minimal, obscure italo-disco, reactive techno, or precisely engineered German house...nope, and I'm glad. This is what I like to hear: "two CDs of drum-heavy house peppered with disembodied voices, random whooshes and rippling reverb."...sounds fantastic to me! Why bother with such a review when you give it such a poor rating?...surely there has to be better music out there inyour opinion...

well said propogate! i think the reviewer missed the point.

since when do you only review things you like?
in that case, every single review would be foaming at the mouth for what some view as blatant mediocrity.

get a hold of yourself.

It's not about things I like, it's about music that actually warrants a review.

Agreed with Propogate...

It's all about what's 'new and in' for these reviewers, obviously Lawler is a bit too late 90's/early 00's for many on here. Give Lawler 5 years and suddenly 'Tribal' will be the new thing....

Maybe he just doesn't think much of the CD.

honesty on the part of a reviewer is surely something to respect, whether or not the reviewer likes what they are reviewing is irrelevant

the guy isnt into it, so what?

2 & half

right on the money , says it all

Fucking absurb review that seems as if it was written by my grandmother. She also describes dance music as 'all that boom thud boom nonsense.'

'Drum-heavy house peppered with disembodied voices, random whooshes and rippling reverb'

House music that's a bit heavy on the drums? And with vocal fragments? Fuck me. Do you even like this new-fangled 'house music', Paul? I'm not so sure myself.

'the thumps begin to get heavier'

While you were trying to take a nap?

'the obdurate thuds of the music'

This confirms it. You definitely DO NOT LIKE DANCE MUSIC.

Next time, don't even bother pretending, eh? Don't bother sitting at your computer. Take that nap.

Save us from your drivel.

Well put Dusk!

ROFL, I can't believe I am seeing all these Lawler zealots come out of the woodwork here. You guys are all retarded there I said it. If you can't accept the subjective nature of record reviews then I won't accept the fact that you like Steve Lawler. It seems everyone here is in agreement that pretty much everything he has done after the Lights Out series has sucked. The man hasn't produced anything worthwhile since the skeleton key conjure remix & having seen him spin @ womb in Tokyo in 2007 I am an expert witness to just how boring he really is. He didn't even play any "tribal house" just the most horrible attempt at a minimal set that went nowhere for 5 hours basically it was the worst Richie Hawtin impersonation I have ever heard. Seriously one of the most over rated DJ's ever.

Sure "Tribal House" might make its way back into the periphery of the dance music world in some form or another in the future, but if you are suggesting Lawler will have something to do with it you are high and need to get your head out of the paint fumes you have been sniffing. Sorry if your old favorite DJ isn't a Sven Vath.

And to the reader who thinks RA is all about the "whats new" you can go fuck yourself until you learn to read.

heres some reading assignments for you:
www.residentadvisor.net/review-view.aspx?id=7218 www.residentadvisor.net/review-view.aspx?id=7227
I swear to god theres nothing but a bunch of slack jawed whiners around here. Go get some of this and it will turn you into a god damned sexual Tyrannosaurus like me.

No more watching 'Predators' for you chief.

Come on guys, quit it with the nonesense. Is this really music you want to put in your CD player and listen to for 70+ minutes? No. It's pure dancefloor fodder, and that's where it belongs. No consideration was given to the home listener when making this release. And what's even more ludicrous is that some are suggesting a link between the music featured here and what Lawler was playingi n the early 2000's. There is none. It's different, and dare I say, of a lower quality.

Face it guys, most of these tracks are just just as they're described in the review: Drum-heavy house peppered with disembodied voices, random whooshes and rippling reverb. Yea it's fun to do a set like this as a pomo mix or obviously play out in a club, but as a $20+ product, is it really worth it? I mean I'm too busy buying other shit that's of a much higher pedigree. Why should I even look twice at this? It's lazy IMO.

So fucking what?

I've just received this message from Steve:

"I am so very sorry my new mix CD just doesn't work playing nice and low in the background while you cook your new girlfriend a delicious salmon en croute, served with a nice glass of expensive red wine and a smug grin.

I would recommend that new chillwave compilation. RA seem to be raving about it, so it must be good."

Nice Dusk! There are bad reviews and there are reviews of bad albums & comps. There are ways to review something without insulting the DJ on a personal level...no wonder Steve is miffed. This album may not be to a lot of people's liking, but there are plenty of people who appreciate Steve for what he does and the music he represents...my hat's off for sticking to his guns!

Agreed. Why the hell should he release a disco-inflected, R&B-tinged, witch house/bass music/techno album?

Sometimes I think this site has disowned out-and-out dance music, made for clubs, club systems, and clubbers.

Because this sound has been done to death for the past 2 years?

Saw Steve recently in LA, he nailed it

while im sure it is dancefloor fodder and its suits lawler to his taste..im sorry but i listen to cds in other places than at home...and who said dancing at home is bad thing?
thing is this review is awful
plain and simple
his justifications for his review are weak and hypocritical
dance music goes thud....
and we like it!
if you dont, you are on the wrong site
go back to pitchfork..........please

and just to clarify im not the worlds biggest lawler fan at all
but he isnt awful by any means

what sound hasnt been done to death for the last 2 years?


and to the person who listed the 2 detroit reissues as contrary evidence
thats a whole other problem with RA ...it's ridiculous obsession with revivalist crap and dubstep/drum and bass

sure some of its great but some of it just genre fodder that has also been done to death for along time

just cuz u live in europe u havnt been caned with deep/chicago house like we have in north america

you can have it
im sick to death of R&B laden shite

if i want to listen to the radio...i would

Everything the reviewer didn't like sounded awesome to me. I will definitely be picking this up, It's what I like, It's what I grew up with, keep rockin' Steve!

Olos rules!!!

This is terrible reasoning considering every sound has been pretty much done to death.

Think i'd prefer a glass of white with salmon en croute

best thread in a while
you guys are the best

amen brother and sisters

For more than one year viva music sucks now. It had been quite fresh in 2009 when filter house productions were not overplayed / overproduced.

dont care this release

Pffft! Red with fish!

olos...totally agree! if it isn't the 'in' thing (i.e. Detroit, Chicago, German techno and disco), then it just gets slated on here. i feel disappointed with this site tbh, as i really like it, but my opinions and feelings towards music are totally different to the peeps who review this stuff.

Is Detroit the "in-thing"? German techno? What are you talking about?

Its evident that Paul Clarke does not like Lawlers music. "his ViVA Music label consistently churns out percussive house tracks seemingly designed solely for Lawler." No shit its his label, it should represent the music he plays/produces. Had the chance to see Lawler last year and he destroyed it. Long live the Dancefloor Manipulator and the King of Space!! If his sound isnt diverse enough, you havent heard iVAV Recordings. its a great comp, set to make people dance. fuck this review.

RA have written a balanced review. Tribal need not be tub-thumping; a suggestion of repetion with no imagination. Steve hasn't embraced changes in dancefloor mood, taste or innovation, and seems to be firmly lodged in late 90's early 00's drum heavy boom. I think many producers and DJs who press this type of house relate intensity with hard hitting, heavy drum patterns. Not true. Look a the Wolf and Lamb community; deep, delicious and equally intense.