- As any good beathead knows, many minor dance records contain moments of glory ruined by wack vocals, a sloppy refrain or a sore-thumb session musician solo. Loudefied collects Rotterdam-based DJ and consummate disco freak Loud-E's tight, workmanlike and often brilliant re-edits of such tarnished Eurodisco gems culled from his trips to Northern Europe's secondhand shops. Loud-E has graciously cut out the chaff in these regional non-hits and refitted them for maximum disco appeal.
Approaching Loudefied as a continuous listening experience, though, is a dangerous one. Instead, it's probably better to view it as a compilation of isolated moments rather than a linked set of tracks or a flowing mix. Many of these numbers are very self-contained, and though the sequencing reflects some attempt to present a coherent whole, this is a ride that will occasionally come to a screeching halt. So while fans of the CBS radio shows, Morgan Geist's Unclassics series, wonky Italo sides and flat-out beaty madness will find much to digest and enjoy, others may balk at the very nature of the collated beast.
The disco here is of a rarefied sort, and the heavy reliance on the odd bits of these jams means that a number of the tracks simmer along very nicely but don't quite smoke. As down- or midtempo tension-builders, however, many of the edits excel—"Boutique," whose layered legend of the magical island synths recall Phaedra-era Tangerine Dream; or "Granada Nights," which plays out Moroder-esque synth voyages over a stiff midtempo beat. Some of these excursions really break out the space dust: "Highway Haze," for instance, sounds like nothing else, a jazzy electronic roadfilm that collides into an Andean panpipe ensemble jamming with a gamelan-esque percussion outfit before a tribal chant swoops in to guide the disco jalopy back to Detroit.
The most successful moments on Loudefied occur when Loud-E's merciless grasp alights on a groove sick enough to squeeze (the Carribeana of "Bill's Boa," the clap-happy "Blacksoul") and slick enough to slide into a rousing chorus (the hip-slapping "Tower of Love," stellar opener "Prox"). When a break is left to meander about on its own with no real change in tempo or source material, the results are interesting enough, but clearly intended for the deep fans rather than the weekend crowd. But those few, those happy disco few, will find Loudefied indispensable. Whether they chop it up into playlist fodder, mix it into their sets as stellar build-up tracks that slide perfectly into their own secret weapons or simply bug out to it as a stoned post-party dessert, they will be inspired by Loud-E's impeccable taste and splicing prowess.
Tracklist 01. Prox
02. 2004 Time Machined
03. Boutique
04. Bill's Boa
05. Johnville Jungle
06. Changhai Macho
07. Tower of Love
08. Oceans of Loud
09. Highway Haze
10. Blacksoul
11. Granada Nights