Review: DJ Kaos's latest offering combines reworks (many previously unheard) of tracks from his catalogue, with a variety of reworks and original productions from many of his buddies in the scene. It's an eclectic and wide-ranging selection, with highlights coming thick and fast throughout. The set begins with the chunky cosmic house throb of Softwar's 'Afterhours' and ends with a wonky, stripped-back, after-party friendly Solomun rework of Kaos's 'I Want To Be There'. Sandwiched in between you'll find such must-check gems as Luke Solomon's nine-minute 'raw mix' of Richard From Milwaukee's glassy-eyed turn-of-the-90s breakbeat house gem 'Clear Water', the Italo-goes-proto-house throb of Red Axes' 'Promo Only', and the heavily dubbed-out, effects-laden disco headiness of Napoleon's 'Love Spell'.
Review: Buyers of a certain age may experience an odd kind of deja vu on hearing this new compilation from DJ Kaos's Jolly Jams label - a kind of "this is where we came in" sensation, because with its fusion of angular, electronic disco and raw, jackin' house, the album ends up sounding like nothing so much as a bulletin from the more forward-looking dancefloors of Chicago and Detroit some time around the mid 1980s. That's not a criticism, though: there is wisdom in not fixing things that ain't broken, and acid squelchers "Hopper's Rant" and "This Is My House" are pretty much worth the price of admission on their own.
Review: Germany's Dennis Kaun AKA DJ Kaos brings us a 12-track best-of compilation from his own Jolly Jams label (est 2010) and - perhaps partly reflecting the fact that some of these tracks were made 10 years apart - there's a wide array of sounds and styles to choose from, ranging from the lively piano house of opener 'Breakthrough' to the 303 squelch of 'Acid Milk', and from the new wave-tinged Italo strut of 'The Horse Running' to the dreamy Balearicisms of 'Swoop', the warm, dubby house of 'Promo Only 1', the 80s Euro vibes of 'Natural Flavor' and beyond...
Review: There's naturally plenty of high-grade material to be found on Jolly Jams' latest round up of previously "promo only" material from their regular vinyl missives. It's a thrill-a-minute ride through illicit underground dancefloor pastures that touches on a variety of styles, from the "Buffalo Gals"-sampling early Chicago House flex of Promo Only's "Promo Only" (track 9) and the pitched-down jazz-funk/disco-funk re-edit brilliance of Conor's "Sure Thing", to the Ron Hardy style grooves and dub delays of new wave/proto-house rework "Sake of Nothing" by Slaves of Love, via DJ Kaos's sought-after dancefloor tweak of an infamous Italo disco-era cover of Eric Clapton's "After Midnight" (here re-titled "Midnight Patrol"). The latter, now near impossible to find on vinyl, is simply essential.
Review: DJ Kaos seems to keep Jolly Jams' most "hush-hush" material for the label's occasional Promo Only series. There's plenty to get excited about on this latest digital installment. For example, you'll struggle to find a more on-point early Chicago house edit than Baffopizza's sterling, gospel-tinged effort - all sweaty, jackin' beats, chunky bass and swirling vocal samples - though Kaos's own effort, a deliciously druggy, basement-bothering affair - pushes it close. Pete Herbert's contribution bubbles away impressively via waves of acid and dubbed-out synth lines, while Leo Mas and Fabrice's remix of Conor's contribution effortlessly flits between cut-up electro drums and blasts of rubbery, punk-funk grooves.
We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you've provided to them or that they've collected from your use of their services.