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Alice Deejay isn't so much a person as a collection of DJs
and producers. Bursting out of their native Amsterdam, Holland,
Alice Deejay has already torn up the charts worldwide, and
they are now poised to take over the American shores. Lead
by Judy, dance grooves galore are laid at your feel for you
to enjoy. She put this whole thing together after spending
time as a DJ in Dutch clubs. She formed a collective of producers
and DJs from all over to make music. Kind of like the Groove
Collective concept. Get folks together to spin, mix, program
and add beats to make you shake that bootie. On, no, hide
the children, avoid that evil techno dance music. Screw that!
Indulge. Get your groove on! That's what this music is made
for!
The two worldwide hits lead off the record. "Better Off
Alone" as a mover and a shaker in more ways than one.
On one hand, it's become top 5 in England, Belgium, France,
Denmark, Norway, Australia and Canada, just to name a few.
On the other hand-it's literally a mover and a shaker. Being
from The Netherlands, they must have grown up listening to
and mixing a bunch of that old early 90's Belgian "new
beat" music. All those classic sounding samples and sequences
mix with an updated beat. It moves a bit quicker than those
early new-beat tunes. The second single, "Back In My
Life" is more of the same refined dance magnet music.
There's just a bit more of the "western" hip-hop
influence, but it's straight up dance music. There are lyrics,
not just samples and sloganeering. More nods to the old styles
can be heard in the programs and samples of "Who Needs
Guitars Anyway?" and "No More Lies." Those
little stabs and bubbly progressions hearken to the great
work of Praga Khan and the like. The tempo and bass level
get boosted on "Waiting For Your Love" and "Everything
Begins With An E." You can feel this one kick you in
the chest. "E" employs some engulfing keyboard exercises
to keep you movin'. The sweeping textures and layers on "The
Lonely One" and "Fairytales" take the music
into a trance motif. The moving repetitive textures are still
there, but wispy clouds of synth noise lure you to the furthest
reaches of your imagination. "Fairytales" also contain
some beautiful vocals that augment the rest of the composition.
In a related development, "Elements Of Life" offers
a trippy meshing of beat and synth manipulation. You can get
lost at times if you aren't careful. The Deee-Lite styled
word intrusions border on cheezy, but don't quite cross the
line. There's a storm of things going on at the onset of "Got
To Get Away," but it all sorts itself out and drags you
kicking and screaming back to the dance-floor. The record
is gonna burst at the seams with total dance-ability.
Overall, this is feel good music. It tries to exude a positive
vibe both musically and lyrically. You're not gonna find that
harsh-hard-core dance stuff here. No screaming, distorted
keyboards or banging on pipes. You're gonna get yourself some
light-hearted club music. The tunes are also not of the sometimes-annoying
marathon length. It's catchy, it's sweet and fun, but most
of all it's guaranteed to get you out of your seat and up
on your feet. It's a party on plastic.
-tom topkoff
Track Listing:
1. Back In My Live
2. Better Off Alone
3. Celebrate Our Love
4. The Lonely One
5. Who Needs Guitars Anyway?
6. Will I Ever
7. Elements Of Life
8. Fairytales
9. Waiting For Your Love
10. No More Lies
11. I Can See (See It In Your Eyes)
12. Everything Begins With An E
13. Got To Get Away
14. Alice Deejay
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