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August 18 - 25, 2000

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*** Big Muff

AURALLY EXCITING REMIXES

(Razor and Tie)

New York DJ Big Muff plays house music. Not the deep, plush, sultry version associated with Junior Vasquez, David Morales, and Danny Tenaglia, but a slinkier, minimalist texture akin to garage-style and acid house. The music sounds almost acoustic, bebop-like, as it tiptoes and finger-pops its way, led -- to best effect -- by the light vocal drama of chanteuses Lisa Shaw ("Feel What You Know"), Aiya ("My Funny Valentine"), and Lisa Woodward ("So Far Away"). Muff's singers never envelop you or crowd you with heavy breathing; instead, like the airy, dreamlike beats and electronica that keep them moving, Shaw, Woodward, and Aiya barely touch your ear -- "Easy does it" is their métier. Little wonder that the three versions of "Feel What You Know," two of "My Funny Valentine," and the single "So Far Away" -- like the CD's several, adjoining instrumental tracks -- feel closer to outdoor, beach-party music than to the humid, dark basement more typical of house music in a club setting.

-- Michael Freedberg
[Music Footer]

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