Review: The list of remixers involved in this reworked version of Catz 'N' Dogz 2015 album Basic Colour Theory makes interesting reading. While the Polish duo has called on some big-name pals - Claude VonStroke, Fred Everything and Jamie Jones, for starters - they've also recruited some more left-of-centre talents, including Psychmagik and Polish contemporaries P'taki. The variety and depth of talent shines through from the start, with Fulton's synth-boogie interpretation of "Good Touch" making way for a lusciously deep and electronic mix of "Nobody Cares" by Karizma. Elsewhere, highlights include a rubbery tech-house take on "The Joy" from Anja Schneider, some sweaty, late night business from Eats Everything and Skudge, and Matthew Herbert's thrillingly wonky, Isolee style revision of "Good Touch".
Review: More than a few misty-eyed ravers will go weak at the knees when they hear "New Love", the fine new single from Catz 'N' Dogz. Propelled forwards by a skittish breakbeat house rhythm smothered in turn-of-the-'90s style piano riffs, the track is the kind of retro-futurist treat that could have been made at any point over the last three decades. The Polish production pair delivers their own chunky, Balearic-minded Club Mix in which sun-kissed guitar riffs ride a thickset old school bassline, before Gerd Janson channels the spirit of Chicago hip-house originator Mr Lee on a rolling, '89-style revision. If that lot's not enough to set the pulse racing, the wild TB-303 acid lines and glassy-eyed synth stabs of Andrea Oliva's fine revision should do the trick.
Review: Friendship is the fourth artist album by Pets Recordings owners Catz'n'Dogz. Written and produced in the Spanish countryside, it sees the duo push the boundaries of modern electronic music. "There" combines robust, steely drums and spiky rhythms with James Yuill's dreamy vocals, making for a refreshing take on deep vocal house, while on "Mind", Rosalie's high-pitched tones are set to a mesmerising harpsichord and shuffling drums. The duo explore their own unique take on r&b-inflected pop with the playful "Yi Fang" -which features Taco Hemingway on vocals - while they showcase their underground credentials with the deep, pulsating techno on "One Plus You". All of these elements make for the most well-rounded Catz'N' Dogz album to date.
Review: A bold statement against insular club culture, closed minds and lack of innovation, "The Choice" continues Catz 'N Dogz positive broadcasts with the help of Miss Bunty and three great friends on remix duties. On the Miss Bunty vocal, the track's bouncy acid groove powers along boldly to support her empowering lyrics, while the BETON Tribute To The Classics mix gets deep down and dirty. Madrid's Bawrut lets the drummer get wicked and man of the moment Adriyano gets his dusty classic house stomp on with the Super Relaks remix.
Review: As the matter-or-fact title suggests, this EP delivers fresh remixes of cuts from Catz 'N' Dogz bulging back catalogue. First to give the Polish outfit a thorough going over is Roman Flugel, who turns "Don't" into a melancholic mid-tempo dub-house shuffler rich in blissful electric piano chords, ricocheting echo effects and drifting vocal samples. Next, DJ Steaw delivers a fine deep house rub of "It's Happening" that fixes warm and dreamy elements to a typically bustling dancefloor groove, before Pional steals the show with a sparkling version of "Rave History" that sounds like late '80s/early '90s Pet Shop Boys after a four-day club session. Finally, LAWLER channels the essence of Danny Tenaglia for a big room-ready rework of "Keep On".
Review: Polish heavyweights Catz 'N' Dogz has had a quiet year by their usually prolific standards. It would be fair to say, though, that these two cuts have been worth waiting for. "It's Happening" is a warm, rich and groovy affair, with fluttering deep house notes playing second fiddle to a booming disco bassline, flanged vocal samples and huggable drums. "Our Crazy" feels dirtier and a little more intense, with restless arpeggio lines and nagging electronic percussion combining perfectly with the duo's deliciously dense, tribal-influenced drums and chiming, marimba style lead lines. It's the kind of track you whack on to raise the temperature on the dancefloor when things are flagging, and every DJ needs a few of those in the crates.
Review: Grzegorz and Wojciech are back - has it really been ten years now that these guys have been plying their craft? Some would consider them legends now. The Polish via Berlin duo are back with a couple of sleek tech house cuts for their always reliable Pets Recordings imprint. "Opsi Bubsi"has just the right amount of bump and bounce to warm up crowds during the pre-peak time slot. Otherwise "Elixir" gets deep and atmospheric on that Crosstown Rebels esoteric vibe with layers of hypnotising pads doing most of the work over a low slung groove.
Review: Catz 'n' Dogz are one of Poland's most prominent electronic music exports. Comprised of Grzegorz 'Greg' Demianczuk and Wojciech 'Voitek' Taranczuk, the now Berlin-based pair head up the esteemed PETS Recordings label, in addition to recent appearances for Poker Flat, Dirtybird and Superfriends. They present their first EP on Hamburg powerhouse Diynamic Music with two energetic tracks. "Ayu" is a bouncy, bass-driven and uplifting groove that's as tongue-in-cheek as you'd expect by the boys from Szczecin. This is followed by the entrancing and mysterious atmosphere of "Sunset" which just likes its namesake is a perfect soundtrack to a balmy and blissed-out summer evening.
Review: Featuring the combined talents of guests Zensofly and Maxville, "Wave" was one of the undisputed highlights of Catz 'N' Dogz recent album "Friendship". Here it gets the single treatment, with the short and punchy original version (track four) being joined by the Polish pair's previously unheard "Club Mix". This is something of a sweaty beat, with sleazy vocals, percolating electronics and raw warehouse stabs leaping enthusiastically above a booming peak-time groove. Justin Martin delivers the headline-grabbing remix, wrapping a wonky and heavy bassline and mind-altering stabs around a swinging, garage-influenced groove, while Theus Mago cleverly re-imagines the cut as a throbbing slab of Italo-disco/hypnotic house fusion.
Review: Pumping peak time club hits from Polish hit makers Catz 'n Dogz that proclaim 'I can do what I want with my body" and 'I'm a slut baby and there's nothing you can do about it'. Dirtybird delivers a sexually charged club hit loaded with an unapologetic monologue about sexual identity that sounds like it comes from a disgruntled Ru Paul, with a dub version that does away with any innuendo for a focus on the track's tribal percussion and pumping synth lines. No Apologies.
Review: Watergate 22 is Catz'N'Dogz second official mix CD. It shows that the Polish pair have outgrown their minimal roots and have delivered a wide ranging, house selection. There's the deeper than deep late 90s "Let It Rain" by City People, while Chicago is represented by the veteran K-Alexi - on the wailing diva vocals of "You Get Down" - and later on with Da Posse. While there are echoes of minimal thanks to appearances from the likes of Krikor, the mix jumps quickly and breathlessly through styles that also includes Credit OO's tough jacking sound and the dense tribal house of Mr G's "Absurd Beatz 4".
Review: Like their first official mix CD for Get Physical back in 2012, Catz 'N Dogz latest mix on Watergate - Watergate 22- sees the pair drop classic house music from DJ Garth, Mystic Bill and Todd Terry. But as this second sampler shows, it also sees them deliver their own interpretation of these sounds. "Blakkat", their collaboration with Yotam Avni, is a killer chord-heavy serving of 90s tech house, while on "Afterglow", the Polish duo delivers a tough tribal workout. The mood changes on "To Ma People", their collaboration with Reno Wurzbacher, where deep Detroit chords are mixed with a soulful vocal to create a truly memorable deep house sound.,
Review: On their latest release, Catz N Dogz team up with a true house legend. Robert Owens has been the voice of many classics over the years and on "Fine Feeling", he lends his breathy tones to a deeper than usual approach from the Polish pair. Underpinned by rasping percussion and organ keys, Owens' velvety vocals imbue the track with a real soul. On "Factory Settings", the pair hook up with Joseph Ashworth for quite a different collaboration. Stripping back the rhythm and laying down an insistent, tracky arrangement that is full of reverberating percussion, it sees Catz N Dogz at their minimal best.
DJ T - "Burning" (feat Nick Maurer - Art Department remix) - (8:58) 118 BPM
Dakar - "I've Got That Feeling" - (6:59) 126 BPM
Lopazz - "Share My Rhythm" - (5:06) 125 BPM
DJ T - "Philly" - (8:15) 126 BPM
Fuckpony - "Cell Phone Hit" - (6:09) 120 BPM
SIOPIS - "I'm On Miami" - (5:55) 126 BPM
Snax & Ianeq - "Fill Me Up" - (7:11) 121 BPM
Tying Tiffany - "You Know Me" - (6:23) 126 BPM
Chelonis R Jones - "I Don' Know?" (Starsky & Hutch remix) - (5:55) 131 BPM
Audiofly vs Big Bully - "I'll Tell Ya" - (8:10) 118 BPM
Jona - "Smart Cats Vs Dumb Dogs" - (8:22) 124 BPM
MANDY - "Word Don't Come Easy" - (6:47) 122 BPM
Voltique - "Whoop" - (8:36) 120 BPM
Sid Le Rok - "Naked" (DJ Koze remix) - (6:08) 120 BPM
Chelonis R Jones - "Mythologies" - (10:16) 125 BPM
Raz Ohara & The Odd Orchestra - "Kisses" - (3:20) 121 BPM
Various - "M.A.N.D.Y. & DJ T Present 10 Years Get Physical: Mix 1" (continuous DJ mix by M.A.N.D.Y.) - (1:10:36) 123 BPM
Various - "M.A.N.D.Y. & DJ T Present 10 Years Get Physical: Mix 2" (continuous DJ mix by DJ T) - (1:08:36) 121 BPM
Review: This compilation celebrating ten years of the venerable German label shows that its modus operandi doesn't focus exclusively on trance melodies and low slung electro house. It's certainly true that Get Physical excels at these two variants as the eerie synths and rumbling bass of MANDY's "Word Don't Come Easy" demonstrate, but this only tells part of the story. Soul Clap's "Incoming Bitch (Get Low!)" sees tripped out acid added to the low-slung grooves, while Fuckpony's "Cell Phone Hit" is all jazzed out minimal weirdness. DJ T surprises with the string-soaked "Philly", but he can't compete for sheer out there-ness with Raz Ohara's "El Zahir", a mad mixture of warbling ethnic vocals and dense, organic drums.
Review: Pets Recordings' Friends of Pets series, in which bosses Catz 'N' Dogz showcase tracks from fellow Polish producers, has reached its third volume. As usual, it's a hazy, melodious, warming and deliciously off-kilter affair. SLG sets the tone with a little help from remixer Kornel Kovacs, whose version of "Varsovia Marimba" joins the dots between loopy, late night deep house and humid, tropical haziness. Sometime Rhythm Section International artist Newborn Jr impresses via the driving dancefloor creepiness of "The Flashback", before Catz 'N' Dogz pepper a typically bouncy, low-slung groove with sharp, rave-era stabs and drowsy horn samples on EP highlight "Szczecin". Finally, Jacek Sienkiewicz draws a fine release to a close via the deep, disco-tinged techno bump of "Case Filter".
Review: Steve Lawler's respected VIVa Music celebrates a decade in the business and what better to celebrate than with a various artists' compilation; the second part in fact. Starting out with head honcho Lawler's funky disco house jam "Show The Way" this one is definitely super fly, if you catch our drift! Polish duo Catz N Dogz stay on the funky and filtered disco house tip with "Ali". What is this, a late nineties tribute? 'Cause we're loving it all the same! Canadian hardware maverick and all round genius Mathew Jonson breaks the mould, providing the typically minimal and hypnotic groove of "1234567" while speaking of minimal; nobody does it quite like the Romanians. Their nation's finest, Livio & Roby, turn in the rolling and downright stomping "9 De Ville".
Review: There's a distinctly old school flavour to this compilation as Thee Cool Cats take to the controls. Patrick Topping's "Forget" sees the fast-rising producer serve up insane rave stabs and diva vocal samples over insistent cowbells and slamming beats, while Catz'n'Dogz mine a different part of 90s music culture. The duo's "Booty Comes First" is inspired by the rude and raucous sound of ghetto house, as pre-orgasmic moans and a slamming rhythm reinforce the vocal that "yo booty comes first". At the other end of the emotional spectrum, Tough Love impress greatly with the acid-laced, soulful house of "Dreams", while the next generation of Detroit techno, fronted by Dantiez Saunderson and working with Altus Project returns to early 90s US house with the vocal-led "I Need You".
Jimmy Edgar - "Hush" (Kyle's Detroit Retro Metro remix) - (6:30) 124 BPM
Tom Demac - "Obstructing The Light" (feat Duncan Edward Jones - original mix) - (6:51) 110 BPM
Review: There's something quite insurmountable about the Hypercolour back catalogue, stretching as it does through vast swathes of quality house and techno material back to 2006. Thankfully the good folk at the label have consolidated some more of the finest gems off those releases and bundled them together for a one-hit fix of high quality gear that sits left of centre. Whether it's Space Dimension Controller remixing Luke Vibert or Rolando tackling A Sagittariun, the tones are rich and diverse on all fifteen tunes, without a single dip in the quality. Our pick would be the angular delights of JoeFarr's "Trapington" with its squashed soul in amongst rough and tumble drum science.
