DJ Clent - 3rd World

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  • One thing that the recent obsession with footwork has brought on is a rightful recognition of earlier juke and ghetto house, typified by labels like Dance Mania. Instead of seizing on the Chicago scene's current state as some other labels have done, UK newcomer Blank Mind has instead chosen to reissue two vintage DJ Clent tracks from 1998. "3rd World" and "Hit It from the Back" both appeared on Dance Mania on the 100% Ghetto: We 2 Ghetto 4 Ya! EP, and they're sterling examples of the period. Much slower than what we associate with juke and footwork these days, both tunes nevertheless ride on gargantuan slabs of sub bass, an impressive physical largesse not too far removed from Addison Groove's most recent genre experiments on his album Transistor Rhythm. Nonetheless, it can't help but feel like there's some momentum missing: these are period pieces, so if you're used to Rashad & Spinn, these might seem a bit lethargic. Then again, the constant barrage of phrases and syllables on a track like "Hit It from the Back" is made not only more palatable but even more mind-melting with the additional room to breathe. If you're a fan of Dance Mania or ghetto house in general there's nothing to keep this release from a near-perfect rating, given the quality and pedigree of these tracks, but the method of release is a bit of a head-scratcher. The original EP was a seven-track stormer split over two sides of wax, but here we get a paltry one track each. Thus, it's a fantastic reissue that feels just a little too slight, even if the morsels are tasty.
  • Tracklist
      A 3rd World B Hit It From The Back
RA