Packed to capacity with labelmistress/DJ Tracy Young's supple and techy big room grooves, White Party 2003 is the Mixed CD that flouts my usual rule for good offerings. So many mixed discs seem merely to exist as showcases for the mixes and productions that the DJ has worked on, but in this particular instance, Young's work on this disc are the highlights of a dynamic and excellently-mixed compilation.
Young and her associates' take on Missarah's "Wishing You Were Here" is like being given a really large boat drink and then being hypnotised- everything feels surreal and enveloping, and as a way of starting off a compilation it is a daring beginning. All bets are off as to where the night will lead, Young's groove seems to say, and she works her way through tribal, trance, and house at their finest, while keeping a tropical vibe just to keep it Miami real.
Her mix of Cyndi Lauper's "Shine" is equally delicious and epic, and there's tasty offerings from Alma Matris, Robbie Rivera, and Angelo Kortez. But the reason why this disc is a must-have for fans of quality dance music is the Young/Ceevox collaboration "Believe in We," which is the kind of fierce apocalyptic disco record that people just don't forget. "Believe in We" is the kind of record that can bring people who haven't liked a dance record since that really vicious mix of Blue Amazon's "And Then the Rain Falls" (and lord knows there's more than a few of those) back to the loving bosom of dance music. Top notch work from Tracy Young and the Miami big room sound.
