Allstars produce hi-fidelity remixes

Following the recent trend of musicians releasing mix albums of other peoples' work, the Lo Fidelity Allstars have put together a mix album of epic proportions, spanning over 30 years of music. With tracks ranging from Motown to '70s-style disco to modern R&B, "On the Floor at the Boutique" is a collection of remixes and original works blended together seamlessly to create something greater than its individual elements.

Drawing from their experience as DJs in the United Kingdom, the Lo Fidelity Allstars selected 21 tracks of house party music and mixed them together in a manner reminiscent of a club spinner. Songs overlap one another, creating interesting combinations of dissimilar sounds. The result is an album that breaks track boundaries, meant to be viewed as a whole and not as a collection of separate components.

Although "On the Floor" begins with a remix of the now classic Blackstreet song, "No Diggity," the album does not hold exclusively to modern rhythm and blues. Instead, the Allstars lead a musical journey through time, pausing often to highlight songs of particular interest. The soul anthem "Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy" is offered by the Tams, highlighting the music of the early Sixties. Collaborators Silver Bullet, Trouble Funk, Jungle Brothers and Boogie Down Productions contribute rap and R&B dance tracks from the mid to late '80s, all of which are heavily reliant on the Big Beat sound for which the Allstars are known. There are also a large number of recent works, including a track by Space Raiders that samples a disco beat straight out of the late Seventies, confounding any attempt to organize the album chronologically.

In addition to R&B and soul tracks, "On the Floor" also features several songs that do not quite fit that mold. The first is "I Can Feel Your Love" by Felice Taylor, a Motown work from the late '60s. The song is an untouched recording of the original, only modified by the fading out of the previous track and the fading in of the next. While the choice of a song hearkening back to the Wall of Sound era may sound strange, it somehow manages to blend well with the more modern tracks on the album and provides a short break from the beat-heavy tracks that dominate. The final piece of the album is "Out of Space," a techno/reggae contribution from Prodigy. Again, the track doesn't altogether match the rest of the album stylistically, but the Lo Fidelity Allstars manage to make it work.

Taken in its entirety, "On the Floor at the Boutique" is an excellent blend of old and new, merged together to create unique sounds. In terms of dance beats, the album is solid from start to finish, and is perfect for the party host who doesn't want to bother changing discs. Toward that end, the Lo Fidelity Allstars have succeeded in producing a worthwhile album, even if most of the music isn't theirs.