Dance Party (Like It's 2005) (CD - 2004)

DJ: The Happy Boys.

Audio Mixers: Stephanie Karten; DJ Sammy; Jack D. Elliot ; Oliver Laib; Stuart Crichton; The Happy Boys; Tom Chianti; Pete Craigie; Ray Roc; Ash Howes; Tony Moran; Warren Rigg.

Audio Remixers: Norty Cotto; Valentin; The Scumfrog; Lenny Bertoldo.

Arrangers: Dann Huff; Rich Pangilinan; Ray Roc; Wynonna Judd; Albert Castillo; Jennifer Karr.

This annual series from New York-based Robbins Entertainment is a steady and accessible blend of remixed radio hits and lesser-known club/dance tracks. On Dance Party [Like It's 2005], a percussive remix of the Nina Sky summer jam "Move Ya Body" moves easily into selections from Stellar Project ("Get Up Stand Up"), Mynt ("How Did You Know?"), and Danish house diva Marly ("You Never Know"). There isn't a lot of attention paid to mixing on Dance Party, but a floating loop of her vocal hook introduces a trance version of Dido's "White Flag." Robbins regulars DJ Sammy, Lasgo, and Reina are also here -- Sammy's "Rise Again" is unremarkable, but it does slyly incorporate U2's "Where the Streets Have No Name." Other set highlights: Wynonna Judd's 2003 cover of Foreigner's "I Want to Know What Love Is" reworked as an energetic number for the dancefloor; Reina's "If I Close My Eyes"; and a pulsing mix of the Britney Spears ballad "Everytime." ~ Johnny Loftus minimize