Who is Fedde Le Grand?
I learned something new in the process of this review! Fedde le Grand has an alter ego, and he goes by "FLG." Both personae were tapped to mix for Toolroom Knights." TRK is defined by a departure from the norm. FLG has an extremely "stripped down" feel, flirting with skittering percussions and varied rhythms, and Fedde le Grand finds himself deep inside the underground, in a much more Tech House affair. Since Fedde le Grand and FLG are mixing music from different stylings, let’s look at each side individually.
I started out with FLG (mainly out of curiosity), and I’ll admit I was just a little bored at first. I assumed it would be “Hands Up for Detroit” all over again, but that was not to be the case. Instead, picture yourself at 3AM on a Sunday Morning- the beat won’t stop, the party isn’t over. Some people are dancing; some just sit comfortably bobbing their heads. Oh, and the party is in a warehouse. You have some sense now of the feel FLG imparts in his mix. Slick and smooth.
FLG’s mix feature’s tracks from Joey Negro, Noir, Saeed Younan, and an exclusive from Mark Mendes & FLG “An Old Technique.” But then, the slick and smooth sound gives way to something else, something more needy and pulsing. It was pretty intense, actually, it was almost as if someone started to dial the power on my CD player up, slick beats gave way to rolling beats and de-tuned vocal stabs. You are left wishing you had actually been in the room, instead of peering in through a CD.
Summary
CD Released March 2010 on Toolroom Records.