REVIEW: Various Artists, Paris Is Sleeping - Respect
Is Burning
- Kevin Verspoor
Paris is Sleeping - Respect is Burning is the second in the highly touted series of house music compilations that has the picks of the favorite Parisian DJs. The DJs - spinning for the party Respect held at Queen in Paris - mix their music to a crowd of all nationalities, ethnicities, and sexual preferences with one goal in mind: dancing for a good time.
This disk has some of the more popular tracks that we saw from Europe this year including Stardust's (one half of Daft Punk) "Music Sounds Better With You" and Deejay Punk-Roc's European breakthrough hit "My Beatbox", mixed by Les Rythmes Digitales. The feeling varies from track to track but the basic feeling of the CD is lounge-mixed garage type nuances. While no American-style hard house can be found here, a soulful and smooth feel dominates the vibe. The disc also has some trancy tracks, such as "Where Does Your Mind Go" by Chezere, which is reminiscent of Dee-Lite and "Revolution" by Mysterious People. Many of the songs are peppered with funky late 70s sounds and early 80s beats styled with 90s technology, such as a dub version of the Freez club classic "I.O.U.". All in all, Paris Is Sleeping has some great party music whether you want to dance or just sit back and lounge.
