Musically? Mostly. In general, each section holds together very well indeed and there are moments of pure inspiration held within some of them. Before hearing this, I'd never have dreamed of using the Steve Miller Band's "Fly Like An Eagle" in a dance DJ set - now, I can't believe no-one has ever done it before. In fact, I'd defy anyone to listen to Moldover's soul/funk section (starting with Prince's "Kiss" and ending up at a fantastically-reimagined reworking of Nirvana's "Polly") without feeling the urge to get up and dance. As for the use of "Back In Black" and the Chilli's "Give It Away", they may not be totally unique but every set needs its guaranteed floor-fillers and Moldover uses them to expert effect.
And yet...at other points, you can't help feeling that Moldover still hasn't completely pinned down his musical identity and who his audience is. While the set showcases the extent of his talents over different genres and styles, you feel that he needs to just rein them in a little for it to work as a whole and keep the crowd with him from start to finish. Not only that, some of the mixes may be technically excellent but you wonder whether they'd just lose people on the dancefloor. Taking Metallica's "Master of Puppets" and giving it a drum'n'bass reworking seems a little 'clever for clever's sake' - it may appeal to record producers, but clubgoers of any genre or description? Probably not.
Ok, so DJ Moldover may not be the finished article yet. But there's more then enough genuine enthusiasm, flair, technical ability and musical originaliity demonstrated here to suggest that what's needed is just a few tweaks rather then a major overhaul. Genuine talent, ladies and gentlemen, and a worthy listen.
Moldover: "Live At Galapagos" is available to download as an mp3 from http://www.moldover.com/ - alternatively, you can go to the site and order a copy on CD.
Article comments
1 - Scott Butki
Excellent review. I've been meaning to buy the 2manydj's cds so I'll definitely add this cd to my amazon wish list.
2 - Matt Drew
Hi Scott,
Thanks for that. Can highly recommend the Too Many DJs CD...be aware that the 'Radio Soulwax Pt 2' is the only OFFICIAL one they've released though. There's lots of bootlegs claiming to be TMD sets out there but not all are genuine.
As for Moldover - don't even trouble your Xmas list with it. Just go to moldover.com and download it!
Matty
3 - Scott Butki
So you can't buy this via Amazon?
Hmm, I'd like to get some money to the dj.
Here's my favorite mashups.
4 - moldover
Hey Matt,
Thanks for the review! It's clear that you gave my mix a serious listen and I appreciate all the constructive criticism. Many of your suggestions are spot-on and have already found their way into my more recent live sets.
I wanted to point out that the CD you reviewed here is titled simply "Live Remashing" and that "Live at Galapagos" is an different recording. Both mixes are available for download on my website but based on your comments, I'm fairly certain "Live Remashing" is the mix you've reviewed here.
Thanks again for listening!
Cheers,
(!)()|_|)()/3|2
5 - Scott Butki
Thanks again for the music tip. I just tried it and it is damn good. I even wrote up a nice link to it from my blog.
6 - Scott Butki
I got my free sample cd and am listening to it now
and it's amazing. Thanks again for the great trip.
7 - Scott Butki
I think there's new stuff up at his site.