Ibiza Reviews 99

This Month's Mackie's World Record Reviews
Ibiza '99 Special
Most of these top tunes will take a few months to get full commercial release, so hunt them out now on vinyl or import, as you no doubt did with ATB - 9PM 'Til I Come. The Chill Out Top 5 are all available now. Indie fans may be a bit dissippointed this month, but don't worry as next month is our Reading festival special with new reviews of all the featured acts (including Chemical Brothers, John Spencer, Reef, Add N To X, BRA, Lo-Fi, Blur, FLC, Pavement, Beth Orton, LRD, All Seeing I, Chilli Peppers & Luscious Jackson), and a review of Apollo440's brand new single - Stop The Rock - watch it fly, baby!
[5/5]	ATB - 9PM (Til I Come)	Sound Of Ministry
12"	Dance floor anthem of the year - we've been raving about it for half a year
	Storming its way to the top of the chart while we were largin' it in the Mediterranean, the track managed to spend 5 weeks on the chart on import sales alone. Encompassing that guitar hook which will never be forgotten, and never be bettered, though endlessly sampled and emulated, not least by ATB themselves - see below.
[5/5]	ATB - Don't Stop	Sound Of Ministry
12"	Storming follow-up which sounds identical to its predecessor
	Yet it still sounds fresh, and it still rocks the dance floor. Although using the trademark ATB sounds, nobody seems to be bored by ATB, and many people, including myself actually prefer this record, which may be hard for you to believe - until you hear it, that is - and with 9PM still riding so high in the charts, Ministry are unlikely to release this monster for quite some time.
[4/5]	ATB - Killer	Sound Of Ministry
12"	After those two classy tracks, ATB get to indulge in a Nevins styleee cover
	Of course, this is the superb Seal classic, featuring the original Seal vocals, with pumping house underneath, from start to finish - just what the track needed. There is even a bit of that ATB sound here and there - if you listen hard enough
[5/5]	Ann Lee - 2 Times
12"	2 times da-da-daaa-da-daa-da, 3 times da-da-daaa-da-daa-da
	You couldn't fail to hear this song at least once a day - most clubs played it two times or three times a night, and it always makes the crowd go wild. Put money on this being a massive chart (and radio) hit if it gets a UK release.
[5/5]	Luy Mambo - Mambo No.5
12"	REVIEW COMING SOON

[5/5]	Yomanda - Synth & Strings
12"	REVIEW COMING SOON

[5/5]	Gouryella - Gouryella
12"	REVIEW COMING SOON

[5/5]	Alice DeeJay - Better Off Alone
12"	REVIEW COMING SOON

[4/5]	Dope Smugglaz - Double Double Dutch
12"	REVIEW COMING SOON

[4/5]	Space Raiders vs Phats & Small - Disko Doktor
12"	REVIEW COMING SOON

[4/5]	Phats & Small - September 99
12"	REVIEW COMING SOON

[5/5]	Blue 4U - Atlantic 68
12"	REVIEW COMING SOON

[5/5]	SBS - Sigue Al Lider (Follow The Leader)
12"	REVIEW COMING SOON

[4/5]	Wamdue Project - King Of My Castle
12"	REVIEW COMING SOON

[3/5]	Sandy & Papo - Mueve Mueve (I Like To Move It)
12"	REVIEW COMING SOON

[5/5]	Vengaboys - We're Going To Ibiza
12"	REVIEW COMING SOON

[4/5]	Doolally - Straight From The Heart
12"	REVIEW COMING SOON

Ibiza Chill Out Top 5
[5/5]	Lo-Fidelity Allstars - On The Floor Of The Big Beat Boutique 2	Skint
2XLP	20 minutes to comply!!! The chill out anthem of 99!!
	Tucked into this fantastic new breakbeat mix album is the coolest track of the summer. Every day, after hefty clubbing and drink sessions, there was only one song that everybody wanted to hear. On The Floor Of The Big Beat Boutique 2's track 13 - a complex tune with an infectious chorus - a computerised voice blurts out the '20 seconds to comply' tag line and everyone goes radio rental! Its probably worth purchasing just for that track, as if you've been paying attention to our reviews over the past few months, you will already own a large chunk of the tracks on this CD - highlights include top 'new' tunes from Lo-Fidelity Allstars, Indian Ropeman, Jungle Brothers, Les Rhythms Digitales, Space Raiders, and classic tracks such as Blackstreet's No Diggity, Armand Van Helden's Funk Phenomenon and even Prodigy's Out Of Space!!! Expertly mixed on live vinyl (and you can tell), this is a top notch mix CD, in a sea of increasingly dull mix albums. The most likely reason for the outstanding quality is that the Lo-Fidelity Allstars actually chose the tracks featured on the CD, so its got funk, hip hop, breakbeat, rave, easy listening and more, all seamlessly stuck together. This series may not be quite up to Ministry of Sound's FSUK titles, but, unlike FSUK, I've played this one disc so many times that its aquired enough scratches to stop it working in my Discman - the last CD to do that was Stardust!
[5/5]	Cut La Roc - FSUK*4	Sound Of Ministry
2XLP	REVIEW COMING SOON

[4/5]	Jamiroquai - Sykronized	Sony
LP	Jay Kay's eagerly awaited fourth album finally arrives - but is it any good?
	The full on disco of the first single ‘Canned Heat’ sets this album off to a promising start. It keeps progressing with funky guitar, smooth strings and an anthemic dancefloor chorus. Lead singer Jay Kay’s environmental feelings turn up in second track, ‘Planet Home’. There’s the soulful expression of those words, "There’s no place like/ Planet Home/ I wanna go there", a deep, strong synthesised bass and some Latin piano. There’s also an ambient feel towards the end, with sweeping chords added to the quick beat. ‘Black Capricorn Day’ has a positive sound, but somehow blues style lyrics. It’s classic karaoke Jamiroquai, with another great bassline, and will surely be a single. The bridge is perhaps too long so early in the piece, but the entire song improves with every listen. ‘Soul Education’, with its old skool Jamiroquai style string arrangements, is another fine example of the sound that Jamiroquai are so good at - quality-drenched soul-funk. The ballad ‘Falling’ suggests why comparisons with Stevie Wonder arise - and this is by no means a bad thing. The vocal changes make very good use of Kay’s talented voice. ‘Destitute Illusions’ is a suitable transition from the first half of the album to the second, with Toby Smith’s keyboard skills taking centre stage, and only one spoken line. ‘Supersonic’ is propelled by a thick, heavy electronic bass and mangled guitars. There’s a short but catchy vocal, which is introduced occasionally, and a speedy (compared to most of the album) digital beat. This track’s edgy dance sound is noticeably different from anything else the band have done, and it works. ‘Butterfly’, another slow song, still oozes funk, with yet more jumping bass and light drums. The echoing vocals slide in-between this backing and airy strings. The jazzy ‘Where Do We Go From Here’ is perhaps a little mismatch on its first hearing, but this is due to its start/stop introduction, its wide variety of instruments and its spontaneity. It’s quite fast and big, and a good choice for a bright song towards the end of the album. ‘King for a Day’ is the perfect track to end on. Again leaving Jamiroquai’s trademark sound behind, only Jay’s singing is recognisable in this epic, piano-led finale. This is certainly the most powerful song on the album, and really takes their music in a new direction. It’s likely that you’ll have already heard the ‘bonus’ track, ‘Deeper Underground’. This was Jamiroquai’s first number 1 single, and part of the film ‘Godzilla’’ soundtrack. It is itself a monster, with a huge bassline and elements of rock and dance combined into a great pop song. This is an excellent Jamiroquai album, and certainly one that fans will enjoy. It has the perfect balance of the sound we expect, and new (super)sonic directions.
[4/5]	Ozomatli - Ozomatli	Almo
LP	The international ten-piece give us a very diverse debut
	This is a perfect summer album and a great way to end this century. It draws inspiration from all over the world, and is refreshingly different to the drivel that some of the other trendy bands are producing at the moment - with more instruments on this record than you can shake a maraca at, this is definately worth a purchase.
[5/5]	Blur - Coffee & TV	Island
12"	REVIEW COMING SOON

Copyright Francis Madeira 1999