This label's 50th release is just, well, where it's at! All five tracks on this sampler are totally stellar, but the standout track ("Dancin to the Beat") from Miles Maeda has a totally addictive opening buildup. This track has just the right amount of give-and-take; it sets you up, takes the goodness away, then gives it right back. And then there's more in the form of the simply lovely 2 1/2-beat sax bit, a dash of strings, and the falling flutes - man, your dancefloor is a bunch of lucky ducks if you bust out this one!
Richie Kidd's "If Ya Feelin the Beat" takes the best hook of a sub-par R&B track ("Them Girls"), throws in an ab-fab House beat with a perfectly placed trumpet line, and voila: a smooth and groovy mix that will get the feet tappin', the heads boppin' and the hands clappin'. I've been listening to Kidd's track since coming across it last month, and damn, no one's gonna tell me it ain't still so stinkin' good!
Let's not forget "Breeze" from Cenzo & Max Hebert - it's lighthearted and bouncy with some infectious keys. The limited but warmly delicious vocals "give me some more..." are introduced by some short, attention-getting "wah, wah," trumpets. "Take It Up A Notch" from Easily Influenced starts with a high-pitched drippy drop noise but before you know it, the necessary bangin' starts at about a perfect 128 BPM. It's glitchy and modern, definitely best for a bit later in the night. And the funky rap bit on this one turns into a catchy, indecipherable scat; and who knew "watch(a)" could rhyme with "propa"?! Switching it up a tad, the bassline of Tourist's "What I Say" is on the deeper side with a dash of spaciness. The oft-recurring vocal bit ,"This is what I say," pulls your ear back to the track before the less-decipherable vocals come in, at which point you could totally get lost and absorbed (a good thing)! Call me crazy, but I do believe there's a tip in there from Salt N Pepa...? But even if it's not, ooo-eeee, girl, that's hot, that's what I mean! [ - Lydia Wrobel / November 2010 - ]
Available: online at Juno Download.
Preview:
v/a - from tokyo to dubai with love -ghr-050 by greenhouse
| + Track Listing | Duration | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| 01: Miles Maeda: Dancin to the Beat | 7:04 |  |
| 02: Easily Influenced: Takin It Up a Notch | 6:51 | |
| 03: Richie Kidd: If Ya Feel the Beat | 7:25 | |
| 04: Cenzo & Max Herbert: Breeze | 6:02 | |
| 05: Tourist: What I Say | 7:50 | |
From Buffalo, NY, Lydia Wrobel is the coolest, House Music-loving school librarian who ever lived. Most of her time is spent teaching 13-year-olds how to do research and locate a good book, but she also teaches them how to DJ. You can contact her at 
