Mutant Beat Dance - In A Daze feat. Eric D. Clark
Traxx AKA Melvin Oliphant has been keeping the underground alive in Chicago since the mid-1990s, serving as a house music missionary, whether or not the genre is in vogue at any given moment. He remains a shadowy figure despite having released on numerous labels like Relief, Crème, Spectral, Gigolo and his own imprint Nation. Now, Traxx and co-producer Wanzer aka Mutant Beat Dance continue to champion the “jakbeat” sound, providing raw percussion and melting basslines, laying the foundation for Eric’s vocals.
Eric D. Clark (a California native who has lived in Paris and Berlin) is perhaps most famous for the 1996 hit “From: Disco to: Disco” with Whirlpool Productions, but his complete printed résumé could kill a rainforest! He has lent his dynamic voice to Tiefschwarz and Märtini Brös, and he’s a skillful producer in his own right, with solo albums on Firm and Ladomat 2000. So, Eric couldn’t resist giving “In a Daze” his own studio makeover (including some cha-cha piano action), providing a rework that rivals the original version.
James T. Cotton (Spectral - Ann Arbor): "'In a Daze' epitomizes the sound of the jakbeat underground. The deep vocals and jacking house rhythms are spot on. It is nice to see more people representing the jakbeat sound. It is evident that the movement is growing."
Tim Sweeney (Beats in Space - NYC): "Loving it! Sounds great. Will definitely be playing it out and on the radio show."
As a matter of fact, Mutant Beats "In A Daze" was the only record being featured twice with two different mixes on the "Best of 2009" Beats in Space Playlist.
Ivan Smagghe (Kill the DJ - Paris): "Pretty cool... It's actually more than that, it's very good, the production is spot on on both mixes... my only issue (which is not one) is that it is almost too cool and 'now': it seems that vocal acid house is the new cosmic disco this year... but perfect, you're actually amongst the first ones ah ah... no seriously, this is dope..."
Thomas Schumacher (Get Physical - Berlin): "Nice ol school vibe!"
Thom Bullock (Rub n Tug - NYC): "Damn homey, that shit is super zooody. Zoody bang!"
Jacques Renault (DFA - NYC): "Totally into it!"