- When Tim Sweeney started Beats In Space back in 1999, New York's dance music scene was a shambles, a victim of relentless demographic change and Giuliani-era hostility from authorities. Now, as Sweeney's show celebrates its 15th birthday, the town's clubbing scene is as strong as it's been in decades. Coincidence? Well, yeah, probably—the reasons for New York's resurgence are many. But with the show's archives boasting DJ sets from iconic artists like Steinski, Beppe Loda and Nightmares On Wax, contemporary acts like Prins Thomas, Move D and DJ Koze, and a list of New Yorkers that ranges from Minimal Wave's Veronica Vasicka and L.I.E.S.'s Ron Morelli to Morgan Geist and James Murphy… well, it's hard to argue that Beats In Space hasn't played some role in that comeback.
It's difficult to sum up a decade and a half's worth of radio into one double-disc mix, but Sweeney has given it his best shot. Has he succeeded? Unless you're a curmudgeon or a purist (in which case you're probably not listening to Beats in Space in the first place), the answer would have to be yes. Much like the show itself, the two mixes are loose and shaggy affairs—not in the mixing itself, which is pretty spot-on, but in regards to the selections, which tend to waver between earnest house cuts and pure party music.
Disc One, which features 13 exclusive cuts, starts off in the latter category, with a tough Eric Duncan version of Edwin Starr's 1980 slo-mo grinder "Get Up Whirlpool." From there, the tempo rises with the Apfelberg Et Matushka edit of Reuma Abas's "Wa'ana Fda Leumi." David Hasert's "Deep Horst" adds a touch of tenderness, and then Sweeney's whooping it up again with Azari & III's low-slung "Party Night." Special mention, at least for absurdity's sake, has to go to "Save The World Now" by the mysterious artist known here as Gino Bomino—it's essentially the Ohio Express 1968 bubblegum number "Chewy, Chewy" with a beefed-up kick and a bit of filtering.
The second CD is billed as "Beats In Space Classics," and it delivers. First we get a rant from the show's most frequent caller, Victor from Washington Heights, delivering one of his by-now patented, vaguely threatening messages: "Little Timmy…what you did was suicidal for your career." That's followed up, fittingly, by Morgan Geist (in his Baby Oliver guise) and his slightly ominous tech-funker, "I Call The Shots," which segues into Pachanga Boys' shimmering remix of John Talabot's "When The Past Was Present," leading into one of Tensnake's most sublime and emotive songs, "In The End (I Want You To Cry)." And the hits keep coming: "I Don't Smoke" by Matias Aguayo, Murk man Ralph Falcon's "Every Now And Then," Carl Craig's epic take on Delia & Gavin's "Relevee"—these are all top-tier tracks, and despite their varied moods, Sweeney fits them together like the pieces of puzzle. It's a job well done, and a great tribute to one of underground dance music's longest-running institutions.
TracklistDisc 1
01. Edwin Starr - Get Up Whirpool (Eric Duncan Edit)
02. Reuma Abas - Wa'ana Fda Leumi (Apfelberg et Matushka Edit)
03. David Hasert - Deep Horst
04. Azari & III - Party Night
05. Dukes Of Chutney - Jan's Bellski (Pedrodollar Remix)
06. Masks - Folds I
07. Barnt - Chappell
08. Secret Circuit - Higher Heights (Hidden Fees Remix/Tim Sweeney Edit)
09. Marvin Horsch - Deen
10. Pedrodollar - Free4Love
11. Samuel - A Million Things
12. Gino Bomino - Save The World Now
13. Junior Fairplay - Sugar Puss
14. El Coco - Coco Kane (Frasier Edit)
Disc 2
01. Baby Oliver - Shot Caller
02. John Talabot - When The Past Was Present (Pachanga Boys Purple Mix)
03. Tensnake - In The End I Want You To Cry
04. Justin Vandervolgen - Clapping Song
05. Quesh - Candy Girl (Crue-L Luger Dub)
06. Plaid - Scoobs In Columbia
07. Matias Aguayo - I Don't Smoke
08. Butler Kendig - Oh Baby (Snuff Krew Remix 1)
09. FIT - Tonite (OG Mix)
10. Ralph Falcon - Every Now And Then
11. Naum Gabo - Pictur (The Loving Hand Remix)
12. Delia & Gavin - Relevee (Carl Craig Remix)
13. Rocha - Feel The Love (Welcome Stranger Remix)
14. Murat Tepeli - Forever (Prosumer's Hold Me Touch Me Remix)
15. Balil - 3/4 Heart
16. Tim Blake - Last Ride Of The Boogie Child