Need2Soul – Mixed By Benji B & Glenn Underground
I have to admit to not being quite sure as to whether this CD has been dropped at entirely the wrong time of year, or if it is just trying to warm our hearts a little in this horrible British winter of ours. Either way, the album opens with Benji B’s effort, which, considering his pedigree is really quite tasty.
Having been Giles Petersons’ Radio 1 show producer when he was sixteen and going on to running his own night, “Deviation Sessions” in the Shoreditch area of London amongst other things, he has certainly knows his stuff.
The mix is, as one might expect, a wonderful little run through various deep and soulful house tunes that are expertly mixed and do almost make you feel warm inside. Varying from big names such as Womack and Womack to several names I do not know (someone has definitely been doing some serious crate digging) via set to be superstars Ame, Benji keeps the mix warm and friendly throughout, without ever sounding cheesy in the slightest which can be a problem for house sometimes. If you haven’t been sucked in by the time he’s dropped Ame’s “Hydrolic Dog” it is feasible you have no soul!
Glenn Underground’s work on disc two immediately comes across as, perhaps, a more vibrant work, opening up with bigger, more boisterous tracks that bring to mind images of carnivals and parties, as opposed to Benji’s slow burning groover of a mix.
This is a much more straight up house affair with a fair injection of latino funk pumped straight into it’s bloodstream. Frankly, even though I would argue Benji has come away with the stronger effort here, as a package this is a pretty fantastic buy for someone who knows what they want form a house set, or equally for a beginner who is looking for a good place to start.
With the variation of music and the mixing skills on display, everyone is a winner. A brilliant album that will bring you a little bit of warmth in the winter and the party come summer.
Words: James Hoste
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