From the first pumpin’ strokes of this tawny-colored and black delight, I wanted to spread Tiger Balm ointment in musically erogenous places in order to amplify its bite. That may not have worked as well as I wanted it to. We are embarking upon a “Safari” with Swedish dance music impresario Mikael Nordgren, who wants the community of party movement to know him as Tiger Stripes [Nite Grooves/King Street KCD-253] because of his fiercely courageous grooves, and who apparently plays all the “instruments” on this cleanly produced album.
You know, any club music producer/DJ can claim they are “house”, that is why I look and listen deeper to discover the fakes from pretenders; and it is not just enough to be half-way around the globe and study American House music, you must, like every other interest, live the music, and try to be around as many of us with the lineage of Greenwich Village/Larry Levan in the ‘60s and ‘70s New York City, or of the same period’s Chicago scene in order to absorb the blessing and be able to embark upon a quest to do justice in recreating fresh cuts from the seeds of that anointment. Having made that point, I feel that what we have here is an educational work in-progress; perfect to drop into your mix, DJs, but not necessarily to headline it.
