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Album Reviews
Album Review: Various Artists – Need2Soul V.02: Benji B & Glenn Underground (Need2Soul)
By Paul Vig | Published on Monday 12 January 2009
This two disc affair features track selections from two top class DJs from either side of the Atlantic, 1Xtra DJ Benji B and Chicago-based deep house producer Glenn Underground. Disc one is taken by Benji B, who seemed to ascend using Gilles Petersen’s coat tails a good few years ago, and who here collects a diverse range of tunes. There are gospel chants with the Celestial Choir, nu-soul from Phlash, quality tech from Ame with ‘Hydraulic Dog’, a Carl Craig acidic rework of Cesarioa Evora’s ‘Angola’ and some Latin house from Louie Vega. But the highlight is Deetron’s ‘I Cling’, after which it fails to reach the same heights again. It’s diverse with a few nice touches but a little disjointed at times. Glenn Underground’s disc takes us more housewards, kicking off with the sublime ‘A Swell Session’ by Swell Session (aka talented Swede Andreas Saag) from 2000, which sucked me right in. From the tribal chants of Nahawa Doumbia, it gets overly sweet with Vega’s EOL remix of ‘Stars’ by Jiva, and Blvd East’s ‘Luv 4 Money’ sounds far too like that Mr V with Miss Patty track. Luckily, Glenn pulls it back, with some proper Latin house on Misia’s ‘Melody’, featuring MAW on the remix, and our Phlash’s awesome remix of Fini Dolo’s ‘Blow. Elsewhere, Allen Hoist’ gospel-tinted ‘With Love’ is solid, KDJ’s ‘J.A.N’ is abstract and menacing, and it’s all rounded off with Brett Dancer’s nice cut, ‘Dreamin’, which oddly only runs for 90 seconds. All in all this is not your run of the mill compo and will appeal to those looking enrich their musical palate. There are a few hits and a few misses, and some will find it a little too far left of centre, but on the whole I quite enjoyed it. PV
