Wax:On: Compilation Series Volume 1
Wax:On: Compilation Series Volume 1
Also In The News
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Geoff Barrow of Portishead and pals write and record thier debut over 12 days in Bristol - Tom Williams listens in. |  |
Thursday, 29, Oct 2009 11:16
Wax:On, out now.
In a nutshell...
Double cd mix of big room rave
What's it all about?
Wax:On have been running tings in 'clubland' from Leeds and Newcastle for time and now begin venturing into pastures new (Birmingham - eek?) with more events and revving up a label. This double cd mix acts as both a celebration of the party's first five years and a sign post pointing us towards their new dimension. Previous guests act as a police line up of naughty players who really cause you to stamp on your marbles when you've got your mug rammed deep into the trough of rave. Annie Mac, Richie Hawtin, Aeroplane, Erol Alkan, Tayo, Rusko - Naughty naughty.
Who's it by?
First up is Fake Blood aka Theo Keating aka DJ Touche - Notorious for almost bringing back hip-house (albeit a gnarlier, more grizzled version amped on 21st century protein production juice), he's been responsible for big remixes (The Kills' Cheap and Cheerful and the Gossip's Love Long Distance - as heard here) and his own monstrous creations - check out Mars. File between Diplo, Armand Van Helden and Boy 8 Bit for this deranged take on hard and funky fidget. Hes also one half of the Black Ghosts in whatever spare time he does have alongside Simian vocalist Simon Lord.
People Get Real have been the back room ressies since Wax:On's inception. Simon Lister and Peter Wilson are less well known than Keating but their skills as a warm up duo for the bigger reps are second to none.
As an example…
"Give me all your sweat - s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-sweat/Sweat baby sweat baby -sweat sweat sweat sweat/Give me all your sweat." - Bowski - Hooves
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
Unlike DJ Hell, none of these DJs are spending too much time with P Diddy - so probably not yet…
So is it any good?
Fake Blood's tough house business is as hard as bone - Noob & Brodinski's Peanuts Club is a finger pointing macdaddy of a tune while Bowski's Hooves nails the jittery house vibe to the after hours mast with a large splash of fertile panting. I'm pulling rave faces just sitting here vibing on it. It's an exciting snapshot of where the creative teats that rave is destined to be sucking on other the next six months are headed - and dancers will be throwing shapes to - Jokers of the Scene, Gucci Vump and Tomboy are all names to keep your ears wide open for. Disco of Doom also deserve props for doffing their caps to Ozzy with War Pigs and taking a sledge hammer to the middle of the mix.
On the flipside People Get Real take it slightly deeper, and refined with a collage of classic techno, house and off-kilter electronic. Kissogram's My Friend is a Seahorse (rewired by DFA types Mock & Toof) and Serge Santiago's cut up of They Came From the Stars shows that the best kind of discos do sometimes belong to the back rooms. The duo's own track is one of the best and shows the label has wings. Every time I look into Wax:On's eyes I see the future? On this evidence? Yes.
8/10
Jim Ottewill