With You in 4/4

Peter Mavrik’s Clubbin’ Tip #6: Tip your bartenders well if they serve you well. Tip your VJ/DJ if you’ve enjoyed what they are playing, or if they played your requests. There’s nothing wrong with an extra dollar given for a good experience. And please, don’t ever expect to have your drink comped. Be prepared to pay for every single drink you order.

Continuing on the string of records I purchased in New York, Fantasia Barrino has a new single out for the track It’s All Good on J Records. I heard exactly four beats of it in a shop in Chelsea and I was hooked. The double pack contains six remixes, three by Scumfrog and three by Nate Skaten. All of them are on the darker side, but that’s a good thing in this case.

The best of the bunch is the Scumfrog Extended Mix. There’s a wicked loop that uses synth strings, digital beats and a classical bass. He filters Fantasia’s vocals in and out of the track, creating a very rich sound with just a few instruments. Scumfrog is a master of the vocal loop, and this is no exception. It’s that loop I first hear and fell in love with right away. Definitely a prime time track worth owning.

Everlasting Love is something many people wish for. But it just happens to be the name of Passionardor’s latest track out on the Soulfuric Deep label. And deep indeed, this Underground groove is sexy to the max. John Cutler, a standard in the House remixing community, has tackled this track and turned it into a beautifully sensual sounding collection of three remixes. There is also an Ardor remix, that always gives me pause; which one to play? The Ardor dub is hot and deeply suited for an early part of the evening, but John Cutler’s Deep Remix has full vocals that wrap themselves around you like a warm summer night. And the saxophone solo’s all around are to die for. This is one of those quiet-storm tracks that start out innocently and grooves you to the core by the time the final hook comes around. Truly Deep, truly Soulfuric.

And now to veer off in another direction. How many CD’s do you own that aren’t in English? My collection consists of tons of vocals from around the globe. A shining example of culture and beautiful music meshing together are the Brazil Classics CD’s on Luka Bop records. Beleza Tropical: Brazil Classics 1 is probably my favorite compilation of them all. The sheer energy present in all the tracks is enough to make you overlook the lack of English. Some tracks, like ‘Umbabarauma’ (say that five times fast) sound so exotic and inviting, it’ll nearly make you want to jump on a plane and head right to Brazil. But essentially, my point is this: don’t be afraid of a CD from another place or culture.

With you in 4/4,

Peter Mavrik

peter@windycitytimes.com