A-Trak/ Various

A-Trak brings that beat back here with densely funked-up dance tunes. The Montreal prodigy of '90s hip-hop (he won the World DMCs in 1997 at age 15) has an undeniable gift to light jackin' sounds on fire. With plentiful loops and scratches, re-edits and tweaks, A-Trak teams clear, meticulous effort and learned skill with a natural flow to make this whole DJ mix bump, producing and remixing a noted three tracks on the mix. Upbeat energy on Fabriclive 45 draws comparisons to old house records like DJ Dan's notorious Beats 4 Freaks, touching the hearts of b-girls and b-boys everywhere. The disc opens with a skilful doubling up of DJ Sneak's "You Can't Hide From Your Bud" and A-Trak's "Say Whoa." Gliding from track to track smoother than across ice covered snow, this record unites classic house with modern sounds, mixing techno, funk, break beats and disco with artists like Boys Noize or Scott Grooves, and Parliament Funkadelic remixed by Daft Punk.