Doc Martin

It's always amusing to see some of the U.K.'s visual interpretations of American dance music. But overdone and clueless packaging aside, this compilation mixed by Doc Martin as part of the House Music Movement series mainly recalls the early '90s, a mostly forgotten time as far as house music production is concerned. The fact that house was going through some growing pains during these years is evident. Overplayed horn stabs and piano lines don't sound the least bit fresh, having become the possession of mainstream dance-pop hits. And many of the beats sound paper thin in comparison to both the jackin' drums of '80s Chicago and the 909 kick fetish. It's almost comical to listen to house legend Roy Davis, Jr.'s "La La's Dance" and hear nothing but an early prototype for cheesy progressive trance. But of course, at the time of its release, this was something cutting edge. No doubt those who were there loved these cuts. And there's still fun to be had with Cajmere's "Brighter Days" and the skippy cutup of Karen Pollack, but it'll be few more years until these records are fondly remembered as classics. ~ Joshua Glazer, All Music Guide