- Paul Johnson built his name as ‘a cult artist of Chicago’ with international dance-floor-hits Get Get Down, Hit It Up and Doo Wap. Originally, the American spun acid-house, synthetic sounds. Today, he tends towards the soulful side of music. This CD, however, shows Johnson still appreciates the more synthetic-layered sounds. For Mix Connexion Volume One, Johnson has comprised a mix which infuses house, tech-house with electro references.
Early in the mix, Johnson gets straight into the edgier side of electro-house with Maniak Fantasy from Sinema feat. Lowdown. This is a real German sounding tune, consisting of electro-clash-like vocals and high-frequency, electro tones and melodies. Johnson then follows with a similar, electro house number from Twin Pitch, this consists of more textured, layered sounds. Ironically, the smoothness Johnson had created thus far in his mix is interrupted, by a tune of his own, She Got Me. This consists of garage-like vocals, deep groovin’ base and feathery sounding effects. Hereafter, the mix deepens as it develops and, in particularly, with No Latency from Solid Fusion. This is a more deep number and is really worth checking out. Sunrise, from H-foundation member Hipp-e (Nicholas Vallee) follows in the same vein. With Sunrise, Vallee’s distinctive production skills can be detected. Often, as with Sunrise, this includes subliminal house-effects and solid baselines working together over crisp beats. Also, Nicholas Vallee, under his own individual name, appears in the following tune, The Natural. This is on a similar tip, however, with more funky elements (if that word means anything anymore). At the same time, Sebastien Lerger’s tech-house number, Epoxy, also raises the value of the CD, in similar respects. Further into the piece, Johnson makes use of more ‘hectic’ tracks, late-night-electro-house stuff, which then dominates the CD from this point on.
On a contrasting note, assertions can be made to discredit Mix Connexion Volume One. Firstly, Johnson’s track selections, which, at times, can be like two tracks arguing, rather than coming to agreement or harmonization. Secondly, Johnson’s timing, where tracks are brought in a bit too quickly, as a result of a sort-of hurried method. Lastly, all the tracks come from four or five recording labels; obviously easier and quicker to get licensing and complete the daunting task of compiling a mix CD. For any purists of the House music genre, Mix Connexion Volume One is well worthy of investigation. That said, there are masses of other great house collections around at the moment, equally worth checking out. I guess what is ‘good’ comes down to your own individual opinion.
Tracklisting
01. COPYSHOP- The Lamb
02. SINEMA feat. LOWDOWN – Maniak Fantasy
03. TWIN PITCH – Ghetto Blaster
04. PAUL JOHNSON – She Got On Me
05. SOLID FUSION – No Latency
06. SINEMA – Confusion (The Hacker Remix)
07. SERBASTEIN LEGER – Grab My Hip (SL Nocturne Mix)
08. HIPP-E – Sunrise
09. NICHOLAS VALLEE- The Natural
10. DJINXX – Music from Jamaica (The Youngsters Remix)
11. EXCHPOPTRUE – Discoteca
12. SEBAGO – Hands On Me
13. D.I.P – Contact (David Corretta Remix)
14. HIPP-E – Stay All Night