Bargrooves: Manhattan [Digipak] (CD - 2005)

DJs: Ben Sowton; Mateo & Matos.

Audio Mixers: Eddie "EZ" Matos; Holmes Ives; Luis Radio; Ben Sowton.

Audio Remixers: Alex Dean; Richard Earnshaw.

Liner Note Author: Rob Wood.

Recording information: The Bunker Recording Studio, Wrexham, Clywd, Wales.

Editor: Mike Patto.

Illustrator: Scott Minshall.

Arrangers: Holmes Ives; Luis Radio.

Yet another Bargrooves release, one among many. Like the others, Bargrooves: Manhattan features fashionable packaging and two discs of laid-back house music mixed by Ben Sowton and a guest DJ, in this particular case Mateo & Matos. If you're into this sort of house music (perhaps most comparable to the Naked Music series of mixes -- or if you really want to narrow it down and tag it, West Coast house), there's plenty to enjoy here. The mixing is unobtrusive and the tracks are smooth without exception, with some sexy vocal numbers coming in every so often. The thing is, it's hard to keep count of these Bargrooves mixes. You'd think Sowton and company were churning them out on an assembly line, given the frequency of release and the similarity of one to the next. While none of these are poor per se, none are exceptional, either. Heard one, heard them all for the most part. Still, a nice series overall for folks who can't get enough of this sort of music. ~ Jason Birchmeier minimize