Search - THE CIRCUIT PARTY -4 :: The Circuit Party, Volume 4

Big and Loud

J | Washington, DC United States | 05/12/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The tunes on this 27-song set will certainly feel familiar to most any warehouse club-goer. DJ Peter Rauhofer really knows his stuff -- it's a nearly flawless blend of tunes which follow in his big and loud style. Riveting build-ups on songs like "Take Me, Love Me" by Friburn & Urik, Pet Shop Boy's "New York City Boy" by Thunderpuss 2000, Blue Adonis' "Disco Cop" by Judge Jules, and even Charlotte's bittersweet "Someday." Rauhofer's talents shine through on his own Club 69 production of "Twisted," and also on remixes of Jack Prongo's "Shake It," Donna Summer's uplifting "I Will Go On With You (Con Te Partiro)," and good ol' Lulu belting out "Hurt Me So Bad" (featuring that trendy Cher/Jennifer Lopez warbling voice effect). Remakes include an okay Razor-n-Guido mix of Hannah Jones doing "Was That All It Was," and a not-so-okay version of Veronica yodelling through "I'm In Love." Others notables include an updated "Situation `99" from Yaz, "Move On" from Vicki Sue Robinson, "Naked Without You" from Taylor Dane (cut too short for once), Cevin Fisher's wild "(You've Got Me) Burnin' Up," and the return of strung-out queen Lula asking for more in "Man = Drugs." There's a couple of songs that seem out of place eventhough they're nice -- Soul Searcher's R&B tune "Can't Get Enough" and Pete Heller's beautiful "Big Love." Some of this music starts to sound the same, and some are way repetetive with their unyeilding jingle, church and cow bells (like leftovers from Stock, Aiken, Waterman?), and others borrow aimlessly from past greats like Art of Noise and Lectroluv. I think this might've been a little better mix had DJ Peter Rauhofer had a live crowd before him -- I know for a fact that he can really turn it out! Still, you can't beat the price and punch of these 2 CD's in this unique series' 4th installment!"

Sweat Appeal

mark rochester | Philadelphia, PA | 08/27/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When Peter Rauhofer is on, it's easy to title him Lord rauhofer, because for instances only the music exists. Well, on this cd peter mixes for broad audiences, so its mass appeal allows everybody to find something. Its hard to imagine any DJ being able to capture the atmosphere and essence of a real circuit party; for example, to compare this cd to Peter's playing at Blueball 2000 in Philly would be unfair simply because he does such a good job playing the crowd. But as far as cd's go, this one covers a large spectrum of the house music world. Sure he appeals to more mainstream listening with his inclusion of big draw names like taylor dayne, veronica, pet shop boys, donna summer and yaz. But it is the more techno heavy songs like Disco Cop, Shake It and Monk E Dreams that set the mood. On top of that, peter does take us on a journey of the mind by slowing it down every so often, alowing us to refuel. In my opinion, songs like the trancy Feel Free and soulful Do It Properly and Big Love create the mood, preventing it from becoming just another beat heavy Cd. he even gets a little disco-happy with Can't Get Enough, and follows that with a lovely, feel good song by charlotte- Someday. all things said, its very hard to argue with any cd that suceeds in mixing the big remixers Calderone, Friburn and Urik, Club 69, Razor N' Guido, Thunderpuss and Johnny Vicious. If one truly listens to the music, its obvious that Peter tries to be all-inclusive, from the seasoned circuit boys right down to the tender and trepid. And by doing so in a smooth, flowy manner, Lord Peter prepares us for the real thing."

Non-stop energy plug

mark rochester | 07/19/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was looking for new music to exercise (bicycle) to. This looked like a steal of a deal, and it is. Sound quality is excellent; the beats run consistent, and the mixes are interesting to say the least. It will be awhile before I have to look for more music to exercise with since this title has two CDs, full of non-stop energy pumping music. If you're looking for music to work out by, this should be a part of your collection."