VA - 'Cityfox Circle 1'

Various Artists
Cityfox Circle 1
Cityfox

Often these days compilations are rarely well thought out - instead of a solid narrative binding together a certain feeling or message, these days the over saturated compilation market is more an almagamation of tracks that the artist/label/DJ decided they liked enough to bang them all on to one convenient CD. Cityfox Circle 1 - a compilation brought to life by some of the biggest names in tech house is not just a selection of good tracks, or a hastily cobbled together collection; it’s a well thought out journey, from start to end, delivered in one beautfully slick package by the Zurich label. Various Artists is a loose and modest description of some of the names on here, but lets be clear Mark Henning (who recently had the colossal Trojan off the Chicago Sunrise EP – also on Cityfox), M.A.N.D.Y, Diynamic’s Adriatique, the boys from Brooklyn MC & Hammer and Ultrasone, to name a few.

The compilation starts out with slightly slower paced groovers, M.A.N.D.Y’s ‘Staying Home’ is an audible delight, beginning with a plodding and deep bass line that builds up into a beautifully off key drop. It’s wonky, it’s catchy and the vocal samples add a delectable twang. Brooklyn boys MC & Hammer bring the heat with their track ‘What’s The Difference’, with banging '80s New York house twists, big reverberating melodies with disjointed vocals and retro samples. Ultrasone’s ‘The Factory’ picks up the pace a bit more, with an after-hours warehouse edge emanating through. Mid way through the track, there's a rather haunting and chaotic crescendo which drops down into a dark subterranean march, quite literally sending shivers down the spine.

Elsewhere Adriatique’s ‘Son Of A Cheater’, with its breaks of rolling white noise, catchy snares and monstrous thudding bass and kick drum, a track that if it came on in the club, I would almost certainly go mental at. Next up with some slightly menacing techno are Benja & Reto Ardour with their track ‘All Right’ with its relentless tech cymbal march and warping synths. ‘Muff it’ by Matthew Burton and Nick Lawson is a bit of an anthem, with the vocals chopped down so much they serve as musical samples themselves and resonating rhythms.

This compilation works by keeping to its remit of  offering a tailored and thoughtful journey, luring you in with deep house groovers and then building up to more fast paced, peak hours tracks before rounding off with a perfect, heady balance of both. An absolute stormer of a compilation and a great pre-cursor to a bright future.

Listen to Cityfox on Pulse Radio.