Pump It 2
Various Artists
The cover says it all, bitches - get your cha cha heels on and your tight asses to the dance floor. Kult Records is quickly becoming the label to watch as one of the most dependable sources of quality dance music that isn’t yet a household name, but is poised to proudly wedge itself between Global Groove and Star 69.
The first volume of this sampler series dropped back in February of 2006, and included such standouts as Dynamix’s “Shake Yourself Loose” (now available as a maxi single) featuring the inimitable vocals of Cissy Houston (yep, Whitney’s mama), and Amuka’s “I Want More (Cling to Me)” remixed by Offer Nissim. Several of the players from the first volume have returned for this second installment, but the majority of this compilation is fresh names all offering breakout energy and soon-to-be dance floor classics. All you have to do is listen to the first track, Maya Azucena’s “Make It Happen” (now available as a maxi single), to understand what kind of standards Kult is setting for Circuit house - full vocals are back, positive attitude is back, and dubs should be every bit as delicious as the companion mixes. Following Maya, Brian Gionfriddo commands the crowd to “Beat the Drums” with the Original Dub Mix of “House-O-Licious”; Midnight Society rubs D-Lav, Shlavens & Craig Mitchell’s paranoid-schizophrenic “Noises”; and Massi & DJ De Leon lay a percussive foundation for Breathwaite’s proclamation “I can’t lie to myself, I can’t be with nobody else” on “Don’t Lie.” The light and bleepy Mahjong Instrumental Mix of Dynamix’s “Moving On” (also available as a maxi single featuring vocals by Jason Walker) is next, followed by an encore appearance of Shlaven & D-Lav, this time featuring vocals by Jessylou blowing insistent lyrics that contradict the cuteness of her name on “Don’t Lie.” Dark and dirty beats surround Eva’s filtered vocals on Eddie Cumana’s Minimal Dub of “The Doobie Track”; an aggressive guitar riff and rounded tech beats blend with Gilli Moon’s empowering message on Dynamix’s “Stand Up and Be Counted,” and Brian Gionfriddo makes sure you remember his name with the uplifting horns and rolling tribal beats in the Original Dub Mix of “Can You Feel It.” The disc goes out with a bang, firing off the previously unreleased Martin K Dub of “Shake Yourself Loose,” which reworks the track into a subdued, electro-flavored beating.
