Angel Moraes

While there's no end to the number of DJs that can turn a party out, there's only a few them that can capture that live feeling for recording the mix to CD. Rather than a straight set of beat-matched records with the occasional tune outstanding, the energy on In Stereo is feverishly dynamic. Moraes interacts with his invisible audience, selecting tracks that drop the beats, double up the thump and build on the momentum of hypnotic grooves in a way that allows him to release maximum pressure at all times in the mix. His intuition is strong, particularly on his own cuts, "To The Rhythm," "Funk Train" and "The Beat Go's," which despite operating on the basic tool of classic garage loops, push on towards unexpected manias. DJ Spen's Moog-matised "Disco Dreams" and Fused's "This Party Sucks" accomplish a similar intensity. The tone for all of this, however, is set at the beginning of the disc with the gorgeous vocals of Kenny Bobien, on "You Gave Me Love," and Daje (with Junior Sanchez), on "Be With U." If this is supposed to be just a taste of the fever at his Montreal residency of the same name, count us in.