Ben Watt, the Everything half of he and Tracey Thorn's Everything But The Girl, made a little house track in 2002 not intended for mass release that got bootlegged and, in that illegal vinyl form, sold, they think, about 2,000 copies. The next year, Watt officially released that cut 'Lone Cat,' sold 10,000 vinyl copies of it, and thus jumpstarted his label Buzzin' Fly Records. Watt's label has since released more of his house productions and has helped the careers of other producers like Justin Martin, Lephtee and Darkmountaingroup. So to chronicle some of Buzzin' Fly's success and also just to make a wonderful listening experience, Buzzin' Fly Volume 3 hits the streets here in 2006.
This mix CD is nothing short of a gem, folks. It touches the same unknown parts of the brain as Sasha & John Digweed's Northern Exposure 2 did, with its inclusion of both atmospheric experimental tracks and straightforward dance thumpers as well. There's flashbacks of 808 State in Watt's own "Attack Attack Attack," and in the epically beautiful "So Far Back" by Lephtee one can float down to the same fetal space that Furry Phreaks wove in "Soothe." Fans of Andy Caldwell's more signature groove-dripping electro bass lines will be thrilled by Manoo and Francois' remix of Kayot's "Clear Sky," and those who prefer Detroit tech-house style get that not long after in Darkmountaingroup's "Lose Control." One unique feel to the album is the gritty spoken word performances peppered throughout the record of MC Baby Blak reciting Watt's own lyrical compositions. Just bits of observations, wisdom, and inspirational paragraphs that adds an urban meditative urging to the listener. Verses like "A tree placed across the track…forcing the world back" is adorned with 90s synth strings marching and pulsing soft electronic beeps.
Buzzin' Fly 3 is simply a brilliant soundscape for headphoned escapes.
