[Dynagroove] Review :: sounds you can feel... :: Doc Martin :: Classic Music Company

[deeper.groove]

I got this cd the other day from a good friend of mine, and I'm still
super excited. But I'm not gonna be all "Doc does no wrong" on this one.
 
I've been a fan of Doc Martin for a long time. He's made me move on the
floor like nobody ever has.
I respect what he's done, what he's doing, and what he's going to do.
I respect the fact that his store is THE place to go for the best of the
best. There's somebody in the know about every style of house there is.
 
Sounds You Can Feel.
 
There's a couple tracks on here that doc's been caning for a while now,
and many others that prove that Doc is house music's Pete Rock.
Shaun Escoffery's "Day's Like This" (spinna's mix) and "Green Tea"
(which just came out on vinyl but has been around a bit on cdr) are
among the more heard, and, daresay, mainstream tracks. But damn. wake up
to that every morning and you'll be smiling and whistling all day. Olav
Brekke Mathiesen's "Ansaff I Kommunen" is on here, and though I've heard
this record out a lot, I don't think it will ever get old for me. Of
course later in the mix, Aaron Carl's "Down" has found it's way on to
the cd. This is definitely one of those "that's a Doc track" kinda
records. And I love hearing it. Deep dark n dirty.
 
There's doc's own Blakdoktor mix of the Barrio Bros. track "Hold On" at
#12 in the mix. Just when I thought this shaboom release was flawless
and couldn't get any better, here comes doc with the live percussion and
the most sinister bassline since. umm. that other sinister bassline.
according to very a reliable source, this record won't be out for 3
months. But it's a-comin! Another Wax mix on here comes a bit prior, but
I can not leave this unmentioned. Doc's mix of Blaze's "Lovely Dae."
Fuckin BEAUTIFUL. 
 
Most of the cd is deep and thick. Some of it gets a touch 80's, and a
lot of it is laced with that Idjut sound we know Doc loves, and I was
surprised to hear minimal Classic elements. I guess that derrick and
luke had full faith in doc, and didn't really push the issue of forcing
Classic material on anybody. There's a couple minutes of DC's accapella
of "A Hope", as well as a bit of  "Where U At", but other than that and
some Rob Mello. non-Classic.
 
My favorite track on this cd has to be Wally Callerio's "In Your Arms."
Slicker than Crisco.
 
Now. mixing.
If I heard this mix out live, just as it is on cd. well. I'd probably be
too drunk to notice how weak the mixing is.
but. it's a CD and it's in my car, and I scrutinize.
The mixing is close to lame. I mean, there's no wrecks, there's nothing
horrible. but it's just not smooth. The mixes are minimal. 8 bars tops.
And he's just not too graceful on the EQ. he'll fade out mids 16 bars
before anything else comes in. all the sudden a track will start to
sound like somebody threw a wet paper towel over your speakers. Then
finally the next track comes in and cleans up the mess 16 bars later. 
 
Personally, I like rough sounding mixes over flawless ones. I'll
overlook drums that don't quite match up. Or a Rhodes solo that fades
out too late for me not to notice that it's in a way off key from the
next track. It sounds real. But this cd just doesn't do Doc justice in
the mixing department. I guess I just value long mixes. The kind that
you don't just hear "oh . new track" but rather flows into the next
record for a good minute or so until the last whisper of the previous
record becomes too faint to hear. I mean, really pay attention to Zach
Rieken's mixing next time you hear him out. Or Cle's mixing. These kids
push the mix longer than anybody I know, and always so seamlessly. I
mean. shit. beautiful mixing. "Sounds You Can Feel" was kind of a
let-down in that sense.
 
All in all, a great CD to own (said: please don't email me for a copy.
wait till june!), if not for the records themselves, then for the photo
inside the liner notes. 
 
Alland
 
.....................................
Alland B. Byallo
HUMBLEDESIGN.COM
DEEPERGROOVE.COM
 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.newdream.net/pipermail/dynagroove/attachments/20020502/d6077f1a/attachment.html