- As you may know, the Crosstown Rebels posse recently marked their 10th anniversary with a worldwide tour. Now Damian Lazarus's label gives us a third installment of the almost yearly Crosstown Rebels Present RebelRave compilation. As was the case on previous editions, Volume 3 gathers bits released in the past 18 months or so, plus original edits usually exclusive to the CD format.
That means you have to sit, very early on, through Art Department's full version of their single "Touch You Gently," which is a rather demanding exercise in tolerance. Much of CD1 is devoted to Crosstown's more easy-on-the-ears material. Highlights include Deniz Kurtel's remix of Amirali's "Beautiful World," Mathew Jonson's gorgeously melancholic "Dayz," Laura Jones' "Inner Place," and newcomer Francesca Lombardo's serpentine synth wizardry.
CD2 showcases some of the label's more overlooked recent numbers, like SIS's "Faces," Daschund & Quenum's "Mammoth," and Acid Pauli's weirdly tropical-ish remix of Zod's "Rise Before Zod". CD3 is mixed by Subb-an that draws from the label's back catalogue without strictly limiting itself to the past year: Ivan Smagghe's remix of The Model's "Still In My Heart" makes a welcome appearance, as does Subb-An's own "Misleading." Technically speaking, it's spot-on—notice the transition from The Martinez Brothers' remix of Fosky's "Shive" into Jamie Jones' shivering "My Body."
As a retrospective, then, RebelRave Volume 3 does exactly what it says on the can, and gives an accurate snapshot of the kind of energy London-centric house music has generated these past couple of years. But as a gift to loyal, dedicated and long-term fans, it's hard not to see this compilation as a quickly executed, obligatory release that doesn't do justice to Crosstown's significance over the past decade.
Lista de títulosCD1
01. Luca Bacchetti - Tango (Eduardo Castillo Voodoo Remix)
02. Art Department - Touch You Gently
03. Amirali - Beautiful World (Deniz Kurtel Remix)
04. Mathew Jonson - Dayz
05. Infinity Ink - Infinity
06. Maceo Plex - Sex Appeal
07. Laura Jones - Inner Place
08. Francesca Lombardo - Old School Anna
09. Aidan Lavelle - Stronger
10. Dinky - Sealed
11. Fur Coat feat. Cari Golden - You And I (Amirali Remix)
CD2
01. Amirali - Just An Illusion (MK Remix)
02. Guti - Jealous Guy
03. Nico Purman - Falling
04. Sis - Faces
05. Tiga - Pleasure From The Bass (Subb-an Remix)
06. Walker & Royce - You're Not Welcome (Francesca Lombardo Remix)
07. Daschund & Quenum - Mammoth
08. Tim Xavier - Arco Della Devozione (Paint The Sky Dub)
09. Jamie Jones feat. Art Department - Our Time In Liberty
10. Zod - Rise Before Zod (Acid Pauli - Things That Fly Fly Remix)
CD3: Subb-an's Rebel Rave Mix
01. Amirali - Just An Illusion (Accapella)
02. Pier Bucci - Jess
03. Dan Berkson - The Hollow
04. Gavin Herily - Witching Hour
05. Fosky feat. Shiva - Shiva (The Martinez Brothers Remix)
06. Jamie Jones - My Body
07. The Model feat. My Favorite Robot - Still In My Heart (Ivan Smagghe Remix Subb-an Edit)
08. Riz MC - Radar (Loco Dice In The Box Remix)
09. Pier Bucci - Congas Pond
10. Subb-an feat. Anomaly Jonez - Positive Expression
11. Solomun - Daddy's Jam (D'julz Remix)
12. Francesca Lombardo - Eyes (Subb-an Edit)
13. 3 Channels - Base Place
14. Subb-an feat. Anomaly Jonez - Misleading
15. Mathew Jonson - Dayz
16. Amirali - Whisper