Perhaps you’ve been there when a DJ goofs and pulls you out of the "zone" or someone sweaty and insincere bumps into you. But you're easily swept away again. That's why the best songs allow you to lose yourself so completely. They sound like nothing else life has to offer and it matters little where you hear it. Club, car, concert or headphones, a killer dance song can elevate thousands, if not millions, of people at a time.
Your captain for this cruise into Supercharged-House waters is Bad Boy Bill, an award-winning DJ from Chicago who spins and scratches at big events across the country. He’s got a hip-hop vibe in his technique that draws some criticism from House purists. Those purists are not invited on this 3-hour tour of audio, video and behind the scenes footage. The ship will rock, the ship will sway, the ship will groove ‘til the break of day.
(Y’know, in 1987 I was listening to Prince’s Sign ‘o’ the Times, The Cure’s Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me and The Smiths’ Louder Than Bombs. And people were coming up to me and sayin’ “What is this shit?” And I said “It’s post-punk-pre-alternative-soul-infused-rock-a-billy pop, baby.” And post-punk-pre-alternative-soul-infused-rock-a-billy pop is still kickin!—but this is not the website for all that.
Nothing about Bad Boy Bill’s CD/DVD experience Behind The Decks is effortless and it’s this alone that elevates it from the rest of the Dance Music Compilation crowd. The beats are insistent and relentless and the tracks fly by barely grazing your ears before a new song is born out of the old one. As it captures the “feel” of a party, it also sounds very assembled and because of this, the individual songs might not stand on their own, and that’s the point. Each one is about 2-3 minutes long and fans of this quick-moving style will undoubtedly dig this disc. The entire CD flows like water under a bridge and clocking in at 65 ½ minutes, it’s definitely a disc you can put in and commence to dance. Just make sure you come up for air every now and then.
In a collection like this, none of the tracks stand out, but that’s a welcome thing. None of them demand a skip if only because you know that something more to your liking is just around the bend. And if you do have favorites on Behind The Decks, the anticipation for them is made all the sweeter by their denial. Bill will get to them eventually.
The more I listened the more I liked and for those who want to get into the different nuances of house and which DJ is better and which DJ scratches better and which one purrs the loudest and which one licks its ass cleaner, I have this to say: Meow. BBB knows what he’s doing and does it really matter if you think his music is radio-friendly or tru-house? So if you’ve heard something better, go listen to it. As for me, I dig BBB BTD and happily put it into heavy rotation in my party tray.
The included DVD brings visuals to the music by way of some cool video effects. It’s really just an excuse to bring the music into Dolby Digital 5.1 and the mix is done masterfully. As someone who has dabbled in 5.1 mixing, it’s not easy and I appreciate the hard work that’s gone into this portion of the DVD audio. If you need an excuse to get a 5.1 rig, this is it. The DVD also contains some neat behind the scenes footage, which gives insight into how the CD was made and how BBB works. Though the guys goof off, they obviously got something done.
Great disc from a great DJ, but it’s not genre or career defining. Even though it’s mighty, mighty, this is a brick in the wall of house. A very good brick.
Listen to sample of Behind the Decks - Courtesy of System Recordings - MP3
