Label
moreaboutmusic
MAMBB001
- Acid house has been one of dance music's most adored styles for three decades. It wouldn't be all that shocking if, three decades from now, that remained the case. There’s something about the sound of a 303 paired with an 808 that always delivers, with an impact that is simultaneously immediate and subliminal. Mike Dunn, a Chicago house artist who's been around since the late '80s, knows the power of this music well. That's likely the reason he's rarely strayed far from it over the years. His first album since 1990's Free Your Mind is called My House From All Angles—and not surprisingly, the LP's main angle is jacking acid.
"Acid Rush (Vokal MixX)" sets the tone for the LP. A rat-a-tat snare and rubbery 303s work their magic while Dunn, speaking in a matter-of-fact tone, notes that he can't get enough of "that acid rush." The acid line modulates. The snare builds, then decreases in intensity. And that's about it. Simplicity, however, is key to these tracks. On "Body Muzik," Dunn enthuses about the sound in plainspoken terms: "It's the body music that keeps you in a trance / makes you wanna jack, makes you wanna dance." Another acid track, "Coal Mine," goes darker, its toms, string pads and repeated refrain—"I'm trapped"—giving it anxious momentum.
303-heavy cuts like these are typical of My House From All Angles. Dunn fulfills the title's promise by exploring other styles, though most fall squarely within the "old-school house" category. There's hip-house, for instance: "DJ Beat That Shhh," which resurrects Dunn's MD X-Spress alias, sees him extolling the joys of house as a squiggly synth and an "It's my house" sample fill in the blanks. "Have It 4U Babe" is a spirited, stripped-down disco affair, its rubbery bassline buoyantly meshing with its cut-up vocal samples. "The Wake-Up Call" has an epic yet melancholic feel.
Other digressions don't fare as well. "You R'" is a well-intentioned stab at an acid and gospel hybrid, but it's tarnished by sappy lyrics. ("You're my shining star / when I'm out here trying to beam," sings J.R. Jordan.) "Modulation" attempts something approaching proggy, big room house. While its bright, blocky chords and string tones provide some tension, it feels like filler from a late '90s Danny Tenaglia set. Most disappointing of all is Dunn's 2017 remix of "Phreaky MF," one of three digital-only cuts. The original's low-slung, lascivious feel meshed well with the original's over-the-top sex talk, but this revved-up version loses the sex-funk feel.
Still, when My House From All Angles hits, it hits hard. When you hear songs like the primordial jack track "Move It, Work It (MD Vokal MixX)" or the joyous, horn-fueled "If I Can't Git Down (Album MixX)," it's a reminder of the kind of rush that pure, unadulterated house can give you. As Dunn himself states on "Body Muzik," "Acid house music will always be around." And amen to that.
Tracklist01. Acid Rush (Vokal MixX)
02. Body Muzik
03. Coal Mine
04. DJ Beat That Shhh feat. MD X-Spress
05. Have It 4U Babe feat. Jass Mann
06. Let's Go!
07. Modulation
08. Move It, Work It (MD Vokal MixX)
09. The Frontier (Vokal MixX)
10. The Wake-Up Call feat. Dee Jay Alicia (MD Vokal MixX)
11. You R' feat. J.R. Jordan (New Album MixX)
12. Phreaky MF (2017 MD RemixX)
13. This Beat (Album MixX)
14. If I Can't Git Down (Album MixX)