Larry Levan

This powerful compilation highlights the remixing skills of legendary DJ Larry Levan, who popularized the songs included on this album during his stint at New York's famous Paradise Garage disco. The songs, all released between 1979 and 1982, also often feature Levan contributing to the writing and production (he even moonlighted as a member of the NYC Peech Boys, whose classic "Don't Make Me Wait" is featured here). As one might expect, the remixes are expansive in length: The shortest runs six and a half minutes and the lengthiest tops out at around ten minutes. Despite their epic nature, these songs never become dull, thanks to Levan's ability to put a record's strongest, most hypnotic rhythms and hooks front and center in the remix, while also adding plenty of sound effects and mixing touches that provide interesting twists and turns to the dance-friendly material. A good example is Ednah Holt's "Serious, Sirius Space Party," which incorporates all sorts of spacy synthesizer effects and some surprising hard rock guitar solos into its mid-tempo groove to keep things interesting. Another song full of surprises is the aforementioned "Don't Make Me Wait," which is thickly layered with percussive touches, keyboard riffs, and whooshing sound effects that dart in and out of the mix to startling effect. However, the four Taana Gardner tracks may be the most impressive included here; the best of these is "Heartbeat," a sultry underground classic that turns an unusually slow-paced dance beat into the backbone of a hypnotic love song whose heat is raised by Gardner's seductive vocals. The package is topped off by an informative set of liner notes charting the genesis of each remix and also including interviews with the writer and producers involved in these songs. All in all, this compilation works both as an introduction to Levan's remixing skills and as a fine set of dance songs illustrating the underground disco scene at its finest. ~ Donald A. Guarisco, All Music Guide