One of the perks of graduating to the A-list is that others begin lining up to celebrate you. Although Dennis Ferrer has earned his share of acclaim in the past decade, it's only been in recent years that he has graduated from a venerable underground staple to one of house music's most uniformly-championed artists. His 2006 opus The World As I See It (even in its cherry-picked U.S. incarnation) and its string of dancefloor bombs had a lot to do with that, so it's fitting that tribute comes in the form of a remix album helmed by some of deep house's finest.
The Mila Tutavilla-fronted "Touched The Sky" (purchase/download) is represented in two mixes from its single release--Joe Clausell's winding, dubby take and Quentin Harris' crescendoing anthem--while the instrumental "P To Da J" (purchase/download) gets a rugged, stab-happy makeover by Tiger Stripes. Meanwhile, don't be fooled by the title: the Doll Combers Elektro Mix of "I Can't Imagine" (purchase/download) is far more about a reassuringly soulful vocal and funk-lounge vibe. Truer to its insinuation, Sunshine Jones' Version from the Pulpit propels "Transitions" (purchase/download) into a deep-baked but full-throttle gospel workout where preacher and choir team up to raise the roof far beyond what the mix's lazy opening minutes suggest is possible. Speaking of gospel, the smash "Church Lady" (purchase/download) is represented on My World as They Remixed It in the MF Version, a chunky, chant-led four-on-the-floor mix that's as good as any of them, especially due to its resemblance to Sunkids' "Rise Up."
One qualm about the package: the deletion of Bryan Cox's tougher remix of "Church Lady," which opens the U.K. version released by Defected. Additional input from Charles Webster, Tomo Experience and Jihad Muhammad rounds out a collection that achieves a rare feat among remix albums: it ultimately sounds as seamless as the source material that inspired it.
Released February 19, 2008 on King Street Sounds.
