- Le Souk is fast becoming an icon on the dance music global map. This North African styled restaurant/lounge hidden away in the East Village of NYC is playing host to a 14 hour odyssey every Sunday, serving up a tasty selection of NY style house, along with a mash up of all things dirty and tribal. While others are winding down and taking it easy on a Sunday afternoon, the inhabitants of Le Souk gather for another twisted journey, with notable DJs such as Danny Howells, Sasha, John Digweed and New York’s own Danny Tenaglia all making appearances to witness the wizardry of Residents Swamy and Astro&Glyde do their thing.
Disc one is a soundtrack for the daytime, and has a variety of fresh sounds ranging from afro-cuban beats, to North African drums. The mix kicks off with Swamy pushing “Nifty Night”- by Dublex Inc, a track that combines a sexy undertone of shakes and rattles, with a sound reminiscent of the big band era. Other standout tracks on Disc 1 includes Hipp-E’s minimal prog delight “Stay All Night”, the funky rhythms and rhymes dished up in Smobionx’s “Introduce an MC”, and the sexy vocals combined with subliminal production on The Beard feat. Amma “Call Me” [SLR Medway Remix]. But the track of the Disc has to be the funkadelic 70’s inspired beats and synth’s of DJ T’s “Philly” which was co-produced and co-written by Booka Shade (Both products of the Berlin-based label Get Physical).
Disc two is getting down to the business end of a Sunday Session at Le Souk. This night time mix is kicked off perfectly by Guy Williams “Work”. A tasty piece of magical prog, guaranteed to get the dance floor pumping, as the crowd is urged to “Work, its time to play”. Jose De Divina & Carlos Moreno’s track “Los Guajiros” takes the disc into a dark and deep progression of spaced out tribal rhythms. Astro & Glyde drop a fine tune of their own, “Dunt Dunt Dunt”, a piano laced track which only adds to the unique sound that has earned Le Souk such a cult following. Other standouts on this disc include Paranoid Jacks banging “Bring Back the Jack”, and the Gregor Salto Remix of Ericke’s “Back to Work”, where MC Gee’s vocals urge your soul to get outta control, over the dirty beats. The mix ends with Rachael Starr's “Till There Was You”, a big track all over the world that is given a reworking by remix maestro’s John Creamer and Stephane K, a more than fitting end to a journey through Le Souk.
Swamy along with Astro & Glyde have managed to capture the flavour and ambience that oozes out of Le Souk during its Sunday sessions, and have delivered a beautiful mix of ethnic flavours and African tribal rhythms. A must have for any progressive house fan looking for a fresh approach to the genre.