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Wake Up! Music Remixes DJ Wall Of Sound Volume 1- Matt Warren’s Music Is My Life

Review by Gary Hill

Doing a Music Street Journal type review of something like this is a bit challenging. These are dance mixes, designed more for grooving to than analyzing and listening deeply. Still, that's what I've been tasked to do here. So, keep in mind that this will likely work better on the dance floor than it does as a dedicated listening experience. Even as such, some of this is particularly effective.

This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) in Music Street Journal: 2019  Volume 4. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2019.

Track by Track Review
How Do I Love Thee–Ralphi Rosario Big Love Radio Remix
Intriguing electronic melodies open this thing. The number grows out from there. As the spoken vocal comes across, it is quite classy. When it shifts to the song proper I'm reminded of vintage Madonna. This has a real 80s vibe to it, but with a modern edge. The horn jam is so cool.
The Way to My Heart–DJ Spinna Galactic Soul Remix

Coming in rhythmic, this has some nearly proggy elements to the mix. It also has plenty of dance music and other grooves on board. There is a rich and rather dense artificial arrangement to this thing. It is otherworldly, but still has a human feel to it. The tune works out to a percussive movement further down the road. Rhythmic keyboard type sounds, feeling a bit like robot music, ends it.

Catch Me If You Can–JohnMorales M+M Mix
I really am not crazy about the vocals on this cut. The cool horn arrangement and electronic groove rocks, though. There is a percussive workout section on this number. While this is reasonably effective, it's not as strong as the two that preceded it, and the "Catch Me If  You Can" line repeated over and over at the end gets a bit tiresome.
Get On Up–Thank God It’s Tal Remix
The percussion sound that opens this feels very similar to the one on the previous cut. I dig the mostly spoken vocal groove that joins. This cut is quite percussive in nature. I dig some of the electronic things built into this cut. It's processed and dance oriented, but it's also exceptionally cool. This is one of my favorite tracks here. There is quite a percussive workout at the end of the piece.
Going Deeper–That Dude Dom Club Mix
Perhaps more processed than the previous cuts, there is a certain magic to this thing. It's heavily percussive and rhythmic. It's not my favorite track here, but it has its charms. I dig the organ sounds on this thing. The percussive section at the end of this is extensive.
Musica Es Mi Vida–James Flowers Remix
Percussive textures start this thing. It works out from there with some vocals over the top. It is just drums in terms of instrumentation for close to a minute. A bass line comes in, and the cut drives forward. Some funky guitar rises up further down the road. I dig the killer organ sounds that emerge later. There is some particularly cool jamming on this, and it's one of my favorite pieces here.
Bang the Box–Marcus Mixx Remix
The dance rhythm texture that opens this works well. A spoken echoey voice comes in delivering the song's title. There is a real electronic vibe to this piece. This is more of an artsy kind of groove. Eventually more melodic textures join. This is a cool groove, but a bit too repetitive for this kind of review. It is actually kind of a mind-numbingly tedious experience to just sit through the whole song. If it were spinning in a club, though, that might be different.
LaRosa–Michael A Garza Deep Future Mix Extended
There is some acoustic guitar in the mix of this - or at least that is what is sounds like - that is quite cool. This has a great groove and really works well. The vocals on this are in Spanish. There are some cool horns and interesting synthesizer grooves. This is a good bit of variety, and an interesting one at that.
Sometimes–Al Kent Mix
I dig the percussive groove on this thing. The vocals are so classy, too. I love the bass presence on the piece. There is sort of a dreamy element to this thing, leaning toward space music at times.
How Do I Love Thee–Ralphi Rosario Big Love Remix

A different mix of the opening track, the melodies come in strong, and the track works out with a lot of style. After this opening movement it drops to more of a pure rhythmic arrangement. It builds back up with that as the new focus. I prefer the other version, but this is strong enough to be a standout of the set.

 

 
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