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DJ-Kicks: Booka Shade (!K7)
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By Matthew Hirtes
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Monday, 22 October 2007
Description: Producers, yes. Musicians, sure. Remixers, definitely. But DJs? Nein, nein, nein. Berlin duo Arno Kammermeier and Walter Merziger are unequivocal in their rejection of that tag. Which means? Not a great deal in the context of this compilation series. True, it started off in 1995 as the plaything of the electronic DJ. But since then, !K7 have increasingly targeted producers like Terranova, remixers such as Kruder & Dorfmeister, and bands including Hot Chip. Is it much cop? Part man. Part machine. All cop. Yes, it’s the RoboCop of the compilation world. How many good tracks? ‘Numbers’, Booka Shade’s very own creation, has already been “singled out”, so to speak. And with good reason, representing as it does the accessible poppy spectrum of dance, populated by the likes of Dragonette and Robyn. Add to that, some classic French disco in Cerrone’s ‘In the Smoke’, techno to pull shapes to, Carl Craig’s ‘Landcruising’, and the velvety crooning of Richard Hawley in closer ‘Last Orders’. And the worst? Booka Shade’s only other original offering, ‘Estoril’ is not of the same ilk. Being, as it is, dull, unimaginative, and monotonous. Little wonder it shares a name with a famous Portuguese motorsport circuit. Biggest disappointment? That Booka Shade don’t DJ more. Everything they do, to borrow from a Kenny Everett catchphrase, is in the best possible taste. The Cupid Stunts. Verdict: This album will stand the test of time. As Kammermeier himself states, “DJ-Kicks is the perfect project for us because it allows us to do our own thing.” “People don’t see us as hot DJs, so this isn’t a snapshot of summer 2007, it’s about creating something that will last.” (4/5) |
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