Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Obviously carrying the influence of those mighty Global Underground collections (see John Digweed's contribution, Los Angeles, for details), L.A.-based DJ Mark Lewis has gone a step further with the first in a series of audio-visual diaries of his travels. Alongside photographer Ray Klein, Lewis has crafted his own Japanese experience in sounds, words, and photos. Lewis most certainly appears to have had a grand time of it in Tokyo, as his trance-house BPM tidal waves sound as much like a happy, energetic soundtrack as a compilation of cuts.
Stand-out moments are Future Cast's "Life on the Edge," with its neon-saturated, pseudo Goa-trance feel; the delightfully cheesy house strains of Thunderpuss's delightfully named "Fuck Me Harder"; and Base Twelve"s "Deep," which keeps the feet shuffling while providing a fat throbbing undercurrent of bass. But perhaps the defining point is X Tech's "Days Like These," which marries the genuine power of straight-up house music directly with all those Tokyo clichés (neon, yakuza gangsters lurking in the streets, Blade Runner). Lewis never stops long enough for a breath, and by the time Seed bring matters to a close with "Water Song," it's fair to say that Mark Lewis is not a boring tourist. --Steffan Chirazi
Global Frequencies: Tokyo,Mark Les,Phatt Phunk Records,Dance Music,Electronic,Pop,Progressive Trance
Music Review:
Recommended Music:
Madness Group Compilation 2005: Feel the Madness!! [Import]
Kultschlager [Original recording reissued] [Import]