From the outset, this marathon double CD mix starts perfectly with the subtly modulating dub-techno of Maurizio's 'M4.5' flowing into the disco abandon of 'Love Money' by the Funk Masters. It's just the first of a series of almost harsh contrasts that veteran DJ Francois Kevorkian compiles on this Essential Mix album.
His is a distinctly New Yorican 'eclectic', taking in the sounds of his and Joe Claussel's famed Body And Soul club – Jephte Guillaume, Jazzanova – as well as moments which can be traced right back to his origins as a NY disco DJ and producer/remixer – T Connection and Chaka Khan. But then, what else would you expect from a producer who lists The Smiths, Kraftwerk, Larry Levan, The Cure, Jimmy Cliff and Depeche Mode amongst the acts that he's touched with disco magic.
Whilst Francois is unquestionably as relevant today as he was back when he started out in the late 70s, there a few indulgences here that we could live without. Namely, Level 42's 'Starchild' and Earth, Wind and Fire's rather awful 'In The Stone'. We'll forgive him though, as elsewhere the selection is near perfect, cut together with enough echo, reverb and general EQ tampering to keep the nightclub hardware industry in business for a few months.
If you're looking for an insight into the Body and Soul sound or, even, to recreate the dancefloor in your living room, you can do no better than to invest in this CD and start working that graphic equaliser…
