Mixed Live: Buzz @ Nation, Washington D.C. by Donald Glaude (Review)

This is the first time Donald Glaude has ever had a live mix CD recorded. For some reason you can hear people enjoying themselves in the background, which does get less annoying as it fades out. It does claim it’s “the next best thing to being there!,” which might seem a very hopeless thought (Staying in! It’s like going out!). He uses four turntables, according to the sleevenotes, which suggests he can juggle. Trainspotters may like to point out when and where that comes into effect, and casual dancers off their faces will just gurn maniacally.

Still, the four turntable bragging highlights one thing: this is about partying, and doing things bigger and better than everyone else. This techno-edged house collection literally bounces off the walls with enthusiasm and funk. “Get On My Camel” is so fabulously zingy that it would be a crime not to dance to it. Most of the tracks here use every trick in the book to make you want to move about, even if that means using odd disco loops and samples of women saying “All right! Let me tell you something!” and the like.

The tone changes often, creating the renewed interest so often lacking in mix compilations. For example, Jelo’s “Chaos Bringer” slaps the disco right off the dancefloor and stamps around in a really mean style. By “Pistolwhip,” things are harder and trancier, and unsurprisingly, there are whip samples. “Player Three” brings a lighter house feel with scattered percussion and looped vocals, and the disco returns to the fore on “Synthetic.”

This is a deeply entertaining live mix with a real feel for keeping people moving. It has none of the self-indulgence that occasionally comes with the DJ position. Donald Glaude knows he is there to entertain the crowd and have a good time, and it really shows. Fabulous.

Written by Paul Morton.