Satoshi Tomiie - ES and ES-B

These albums could easily be reviewed separately, but since Satoshi clearly intended them to be a linked pair, why not write about them together? ES (short for "Electronic Soul") preceded its non-identical twin out the door by a couple of months, and the older sibling has all the earmarks you'd expect of a first-born: Responsible, hardworking and yes, just a little conservative. Not a lot, just a little, but it is at its core a house record - and a damn good one at that. Knockout tracks among the 14 presented in this continuous mix include "Time For Revolution," the lead cut from Kevin Freeman, the Sucker DJs "Banrock" (which seems like it should be a classic somehow), Upfade's "Friday Loops" (popping up in DJ mixes everywhere) and Coburn's fat-like-a-greedy-possum "We Interrupt This Program." Also joining Kevin from the SAW stable are the Satoshi Tomiie ES mix of Chab's "You and Me" (from the excellent full-length "Dub, Edits and Whiskey-Coke"), Bush II Bush's "Piano Track" (also available as a single) and the album's closer, the dark and brooding "Lonely Child" from Sick, a nice segue to "ES-B," although that record is neither dark nor brooding.

That would have been an easy route for the younger sibling of this pair to take, especially given daddy Satoshi's history. Instead, it's adventurous. Rather than trying to live up to or overcompensate for the more traditional first release, it strikes off in bold new directions of its own and as the saying goes, with great risks come great rewards. From start to finish, ES-B is a joyous exploration of what great dance music can be. The twelve tracks are mostly instrumental, the vocal flourishes are expertly placed, from the breathy exuberance of "Sweet Things," the Star Me Star You song that leads the album to the urgent vocals of JD Davis on Chab's "Closer To Me" (another cut from Whiskey-Coke, showing the high regard for Satoshi has for Chab, the only artists to appear on both ES and ES-B.)

Satoshi himself makes an appearance with "Glow," a song he composed as he was compiling the other tracks, so it's no surprise that it fits so "just right" with the rest of the album. There's also some nice 80s flava courtesy of Dan Berkson's "Concept" and some neo-disco magic from the Vulva String Quartet, who get bonus points for their cleverly named nod to indie rock "Death Cab for Bootay." And speaking of disco, the album concludes with another like-disco-but-better selection, Spirit Catcher's "Code Breaker." There's more, but you should discover it for yourself. So pick it up, put it in, and let it play. That's what it's for.