- With "They Frontin'," their recent, ubiquitous collaboration with vocalist Monty Luke, it was obvious Polish duo Catz 'N Dogz had a bona fide hit on their hands. This commanding approach to tech house tropes was hinted at by the stuff showcased on their two studio albums (2008's Stars of Zoo and 2010's Escape from Zoo), but it was never this conquering. You'd intuitively think they'd want to cash in on this recent Beatport/RA-charted notoriety, but their entry in the Body Language mix series—and first ever official mix CD—sees them going elsewhere. The mood they set on this 21-track, 75-minute journey is impressively subdued, subtle and cleverly contained.
If commercially available mixes are often an occasion for DJs to self-promote their own productions, it isn't the case here. Catz 'N Dogz have only two of their own works on offer (their gleeful, early '90s NY garage take on "Get Up Everybody" by Zack Tom's Parade and their more soulful version of Soul Clap's "Ecstasy"). Consequently the rest of the compilation is all about clever selection and sequencing. Maybe unsurprisingly, the mix's meaty part is right in the middle, as Braiden's "The Alps," Eat Everything's frenzied "Trouse Hack," and "Driven Movement" by newcomer Trikk make for its most engaging sequence. The latter track then finds itself emotively intertwined with an older classic—Schatrax's "Mispent Years"—which is then cleverly mixed with Laverne Radix's "Dick Control," a sassy piece of timeless hip-house.
Alien Alien's "Sambaca" is the selection's most shining highlight though; its slow-driven progression turns into a truly kaleidoscopic ride with trad house signifiers twisted into a disorientating escapade. The last third of the mix is in the same vein and becomes especially remarkable thanks to temperamental cuts from Elon ("Right on, Baby") and Tin Man ("Constant Confusion"). Exclusive to the mix, you also have "Tucy Chacy" by Chmara Winter and Kari Amarian, a gorgeous piece of delicate tolling and intertwined rhythms. El_Txef_A's "In," on the other hand, opts for disfigured bass-based ambiances à la Holy Other in the mix's haunting finale, thus echoing the same atmospheres set by album opener "Ambrosia" by Desolate. You could call their approach minimalistic if the term wasn't so heavily charged nowadays, but there is something classy and classic about Catz 'N Dogz's approach here.
Tracklist 01. Desolate - Ambrosia
02. Soul Clap feat. Mel Blatt - Ecstasy (Catz 'N Dogz Body Language Remix)
03. Safeword - Let Go
04. Saturn Never Sleeps - Take It Out (Sean Thomas Drumsong Remix)
05. J. Antoni - Lost
06. Rhythm Plate - Lean (Atjazz Remix) (Remastered)
07. Squarehead - You Are
08. Justin Martin - Molokini (Pezzners Water Mammal Version)
09. Braiden - The Alps
10. Gant - All Night Long (Clay & Deller's Industry Standard Dub Plate Mix)
11. Zack Toms' Parade - Get Up Everybody (Catz 'N Dogz Body Language Remix)
12. Till von Sein feat. Jon Hester - Out Of Love (Chez Damier & Bosco Dub - SLG Body Language Edit)
13. Eats Everything - Trouse Hack
14. Trikk - Driven Movement
15. Schatrax - Mispent Years (Remastered)
16. Laverne Radix - Dick Control
17. Elon - Right On, Babe
18. Alien Alien - Sambaca
19. Chmara Winter feat. Kari Amirian - Tucy Chacy
20. El_Txef_A - In
21. Tin Man - Constant Confusion