- It wasn't long ago that Soul Clap could do no wrong. Through a well-thumbed run of singles, a scene-defining DJ-Kicks mix and packed touring schedule, Charlie Levine and Eli Goldstein became poster boys for the sunshine house sound that centered on the Wolf + Lamb stable. Alas, then came their debut album, E-FUNK. The pair's endearing bravado was overblown into contrived eccentricity, making for one of 2012's main disappointments. There was, however, one diamond in the rough: a salacious cover of Egyptian Lover's 1986 electro anthem, "The Alezby Inn."
The The Azelby Inn Remixes is the third E-FUNK offshoot release and features something of a coup, with Egyptian Lover on remix duty. Sadly, this appealing prospect manifests in an unremarkable dub edit, with the original's infectious hook drowned out by garish funk riffs. Newcomer Nick Monaco shows more gusto with a spacious electro re-rub that, while failing to ever really go anywhere, does display more invention.
The Melanie Blatt-featuring cover of early '90s rave anthem "Need Your Lovin" gets a lounge-paced rework by Marcy Hotel affiliate John Camp, while "Ecstasy"—the All Saints singer's other contribution on EFUNK—is remixed by William Rauscher, AKA Night Plane. Rauscher's stirring and almost Balearic interpretation improves on the original, and marks the EP's highpoint in the process, but it's not quite enough to redeem an uninspiring release.
Tracklist A1 The Alezby Inn feat. Genevan Heathen (Egyptian Lover remix)
A2 The Alezby Inn feat. Genevan Heathen (Nick Monaco LGBT mix)
B1 Need Your Lovin feat. Mel Blatt (John Camp remix)
B2 Ecstasy feat. Mel Blatt (Night Plane club mix)