Hed Kandi - The Mix: Winter 2004

Yet another old Hed Kandi purchase. This is a three CD box set. The first CD is The Winter Beach Mix which kicks off with Bonnie Bailey and Safe a lovely chillout track. Much of this CD is of the chillout/house genre and has some Latin and African type rhythms also. Some of the early tracks I could see myself dancing to but there are no real outstanding tracks on this CD, although listening to it in the home environment makes it hard to judge.

Disc 2 is Disco Heaven which is usually my favourite, and certainly starts promising with Give A Little By Andy Caldwell & Jay-J which is proper hands in the air disco. There are three tracks at least that I already know as I have them from other Kandi compilations, and in fact more than that upon closer inspection. Peyton's Keep the Faith is good enough to have twice fortunately. Mirabeau's Back from Outta Space gets a notable mention however, as not only a new track (to me) but manages to sample (yet twist) I Will Survive with some Latin rhythms thrown in for good measure. Shawn Christopher's Don't Lose The Magic samples Five Star's Find the Time if I am not mistaken.

Disc 3 is Twisted Disco ('The Darker Side of House') which usually needs to grow on me. It will have a hard time living up to Disc 2 though, even the tracks I have duplicated. Again, some duplicates (bizarrely featuring on the '05 Spring Sampler, when full versions - notably I Want Kandi by Eric Kupper/ Barrow Gang/Bonnie Bailey) are on this disc. Further proof that the Spring Sampler was a bit of a rip off even if it was cheap. Top tracks include Armand Van Helden's My My My, Strings of Life by Soul Central and Feel It by Antoine Clamaran featuring Lulu Hughes (with an interesting Pat Benatar riff ripped off). Also an interesting cover of Seven Nation Army (originally the White Stripes) by Open Air (whoever they may be). Breaker J's Higher State of Consciousness samples Stonebridge and Therese's Put 'Em High, so at least they're ripping off their own stuff now!