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Stone Cold Killer — track of the month REVIEWSKillerS


Boo Williams Back To The Future/Looney Chunes Vol. 1 Contemporary Scarecrow contemporaryscarecrow.com


AT a time when the original sounds of Chicago and New Jersey are getting rehashed and repressed more readily than Buzz Lightyears on a toy factory conveyor belt, occasionally it’s worth looking to the early players — those steeped with authenticity — for a bit of a reality check. Let’s not take anything away from the new guys on the block paying homage by injecting the roots with a fresh perspective. The likes of Bicep, Waze & Odyssey and Krystal Klear are all bringing ‘90s house to the new generation, granted, but let’s not overlook the veterans still going at it, refining what they’ve been doing from day one and continuing to set the standard.


Take the latest opus from Chicago’s Boo Williams, emerging as the first release from Australian fashion/record label Contemporary Scarecrow. Seven tracks of sublimely crafted house tracks done the Windy City way, this is no cheap pass-off from a pretender with a recently activated eBay account. Earning his stripes with a string of cuts — including two albums — for homegrown label, Cajmere’s Relief, during the nascent period of the ‘90s, Boo, known to his mum as Willie Griffin, has refused to disappear, scoring releases and fresh cuts on modern house labels with retro sensibilities such as Rush Hour and Ovum in recent years. Laying down four brand-new slices alongside three previously released tracks from the archives, ‘Back To The Future/Looney Chunes Vol. 1’ won’t be admired for its slick, collected brevity. Clocking in at over 53 minutes, right minds would argue this is an LP, were


it not for the distinct sense that these are two separate EPs tacked together — one fresh, the other vintage. However, this is no bad thing. Nor deemed unintentional or lazy. Aside from providing sustenance through quantity, it provides a here-and-now barometer, not just for Boo and his creative trajectory, but of his craft within the context of Chicago house as a whole. There’s duality here for all to see. Opening track, the brand new ‘Further Track’ — with its crisp percussion and intricately layered underbelly — is exactly that, in direct contrast with the raw, analogue shuffle of ‘Real Teckno’, originally released over a decade ago. A similarly inverted parallel can be drawn between ‘Total Wreck’ and ‘Tickle Me’. The former, with its jazzy, swirling vibe and wiry frequencies, indicative of Boo’s inventive eye for subtle-yet-immersive melody. Yet there’s extra clarity, especially held up to the acidic warmth of the latter. The question here is not whether the originality is superior to modernity. Instead, this comparison is rendered irrelevant on this release. Bottom line is that Boo Williams is a remarkably heady dancefloor producer — perhaps even more so today — not unwilling to move with the times, tighten up his production palette by embracing digital synthesis where it might aid clarity. Saying that, he’s also one that refuses to relegate the past. That’s how he helped get us here after all — it’s worth remembering.


VitAl lABellandEd landedrecords.com


Who’s behind the label? The label is run solely by Jon Reynolds, and mastering is by Geoff Pesche at Abbey Road Studios.


Sounds like? Raw deep house music with the occasional disco mix on the B-side.


Who’s on it? Norm Talley, Rick Wade, Dwayne Jensen, Moodymanc, Terence :Terry, Bearweasel, Chris Carrier, Geoff Wichmann, Vernon, Zuno and label boss Jon Reynolds.


Who’s playing it? Delano Smith, Kerri Chandler, DJ Sneak, Motorcitysoul, Anthony ‘Shake’ Shakir, Jimpster, Gerd, Yossi Amoyal, Sebo K, Baaz, Kevin Griffiths, Hardrock Striker, D’Julz, Le Loup, Huxley, Sascha Dive, Ethyl, Jonas Kopp, Bearweasel, Cottam, Kai Alcé plus many more.


What’s next? “We’re a label that doesn’t release much, but when we do, it’s a big one,” Jon tells DJ Mag. “We’re starting the year off with a solid EP from Rick Wade and following up with some more raw Detroit goodness. Artists can’t be named at present but we promise to be releasing more in 2013.”


040 djmag.com


When you absolutely, positively must decimate the dancefloor, this is the tune you need…


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