Hailing from London Town, UK, in 2003, Craig Dimech (Meck) founded and was the managing director of free2air Recordings. In 2006 he left to form his own label, Frenetic Recordings, but not after solidifying as one of the UK's foremost and sought after A&R guys at the top of his game. Along his journey, Mr. Dimech has signed and cultivated such artists as iiO ("At The End"), Narcotic Thrust ("I Like It"), Jason Nevins ("I'm In Heaven"), Mousse T ("Is It Cos I'm Cool"), Matt Darey, Dino Lenny, and himself under his Meck alias.
On his MySpace page, he jokes that his moniker, Meck, is "like Beck but without the talent," but once you listen to Meck's latest club sensation, "Feels Like Home," one quickly gets the feeling that although Meck may not be like Beck, maybe he's influenced by him… Survey said: Ehh! Actually, one of Meck's influences is Stuart Price, the young lad who had a huge hand in the success of Madonna's "Confessions Of A Dancefloor" album (writing, co-writing, mixing, etc.) as well as remixing several dance singles from 'Confessions'.
It's through Meck's veritable proficiency to produce having worked behind the desk as well as on the front lines—with the artists themselves, of course—that has allowed Meck to keep his ears peeled, seeking out the next hot and catchy hook to incorporate these elements and others, over samples of songs that have long been collecting dust in closets all over the world and turning them into club hits, much like his latest single, "Feels Like Home." The single is a listener's paradise that can not only be easily experienced in a club but one can also feel the vibe through a pair of headphones.
The 1992 Felix tune "Don't You Want Me" became the springboard for which, along with the inclusion of vocals by Dino Lenny, Meck artfully reconstructed and transformed the catalyst into one helluva club kicker. In 2005-6, Meck scored his first club hit with the 1977 Leo Sayer song, "Thunder In My Heart," a song off an album that he bought in L.A. for half a buck. (For anyone who may care: This was the white guy with the large afro who sang the classic Disco song, "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" in falsetto).
When I first heard "Feels Like Home," it sounded like Faithless meets Kasabian meets BT, and the more I listened to the song and its various mixes, each mix quickly grew on me; I found that the song not only resonated within me but with its bevy of lengthier mixes, any one aspiring DJ or party planner can faithfully rely this batch to keep his/her crowd happy and, more importantly, dancing up a storm.
The single contains (3) Radio Mixes/Edits courtesy of Dave Aude, Marco V., and the Original Radio Edit. The other (6) are various mixes of longer lengths which include Dave Aude, Marco V., the Original Mix by Meck, TV Rock Vs. Dirty South, Scumfrog Dub, and Redanka mixes with a running time of 58-minutes.
Stand-outs—
While the Radio Edits/Mixes provide but a glimpse into the excellent production values of their longer counterparts, I preferred the longer mixes.
Track 5's (Original Mix): The tightly wrapped original incarnation that's every bit as sexy as it is bassy. The layering of that hot rock sound featuring a snare and bass drum and Dino's vocals sounds like it should be played in a large, open space (maybe with some sand on the floor too).
Track 7's (Redanka Mix): Such a kick ass mix that's classic "Andy Holt" at his alter-ego best. Listen especially to the underlying synths around the halfway mark.
Track 8's (Marco V. Club Mix): This infectious Trance-like Club Mix is a fantastic reminder why such spinsters as Marco V. have been around the scene for as long they have.
Track 9's (Scumfrog Dub): The pounding, throbbing bassline begs you to raise the volume levels as well as the roof off of any establishment, apartment, dorm room, car, or anywhere else for that matter.
