Affiliated with the Wax:on crew from Leeds, Magicbag has wasted no time in showing off a range of talent that takes its lead from Yorkshire's clubbing metropolis, and simultaneously spreads its wings to encompass some relatively unknown flair from the nether regions of the house nation.
The second Magicbag sampler follows from its predecessor, employing one of the UK house's leading lights on remix duties. Initially it was Jamie Jones remixing People Get Real's "Robin Hood" and now it's Simon Baker doing the same for Death on the Balcony's "Hello Cielo." DotB's headlining piece is a haunting piece of moody tribal funk in its own right; Simon Baker turns in a remix that is subtler than the original and which ups the tempo but not necessarily the quality. Louche resident Josh Tweek favours a lightness of touch with "Bit the Shed" which relies on dubby, percussive beats to keep things going but needs toughening up to really hold the interest, something that Patrick Gräser's "Madonna" does more successfully.
The pick of the bunch for me has to be "Madonna," which has a nice line in concave menace and seems a bit more fully formed than the other tracks on offer. It's a good package though, it just needs that extra special something to rise above the rest of the competition.
Published /
Mon, 16 Nov 2009
Buy Various Artists - Magicbag Sampler 2 at
Tracklist: Various Artists - Magicbag Sampler 2
 1. Death On The Balcony – Hello Cielo
2. Death On The Balcony – Hello Cielo (Simon Baker Remix)
3. Josh Tweek – Bit The Shed
4. Patrick Gräser - Madonna | 
