Strictly Mood II Swing is a new 33 track collection of music from one of the most influential house music duos of all time.
As Mood II Swing, production duo Lem Springsteen and John Ciafone will go down in history as one of the most prolific and respected house duos of the last 25 years. At their best, they were simply untouchable, with their drum programming often cited as what set them apart from the rest of the field: always busier and more intricate than straight-up 4/4 house tracks.
Listen to a Mood II Swing track and you’re immediately struck by those extra hi-hats, snares and claps that gave the records such power and drive. The fact that those classic Mood II Swing drums also made them crucial figures in the UK Garage movement puts them in a league alongside luminaries such as Masters At Work, Armand Van Helden and Todd Edwards.
Early underground hits arrived in the form of ‘Critical’, ‘Searchin’ and ‘Closer’ – cutting edge house records that have unequivocally stood the test of time and can still be heard frequently in clubs to this day. But it was the duo's original production of Ultra Naté's ‘Free’ for Strictly Rhythm that struck gold. The song became a huge hit and soon Mood II Swing was remixing big-name producers to tremendous effect, including BT ‘Remember’, Nuyorican Soul’ It's Alright I Feel It’ and Lucy Pearl ‘Don’t Mess With My Man’.
Strictly Mood II Swing is a comprehensive 3CD collection of some of this legendary duo’s finest moments.
In addition to the aforementioned tracks, highlights include ‘All Night Long’ and ‘Do It Your Way’ -, two records that arguably set a blueprint for house music production that is still be referenced by producers around the world. This knack of turning big vocal records into even bigger vocal club records is demonstrated with Kim English ‘Learn II Love’ and Fonda Rae ‘Living in Ecstasy’, while their dub mixes – think Everything But The Girl 'Wrong' (Mood II Swing Dub) and Mood II Swing feat. Carol Sylvan 'Closer' (Swing II Mood Dub) – are about as timeless as house music gets.
Strictly Mood II Swing is out 15 January 2016 (3CD / Digital / Streaming) on Strictly Rhythm. Pre-order the CD: http://po.st/sm2sds
Tracklist
CD1
01. Mood II Swing 'Do It Your Way'
02. Fonda Rae 'Living In Ecstasy' (Mood II Swing NY Mix)
03. Mood II Swing feat. Carol Sylvan 'Closer' (King Street Moody Club Mix)
04. Lucy Pearl 'Don't Mess With My Man’ (Mood II Swing Main Vocal)
05. Nuyorican Soul feat. Jocelyn Brown 'It’s Alright, I Feel It!' (Mood II Swing Remix)
06. Everything But The Girl 'Wrong' (Mood II Swing Dub)
07. Leee John 'Mighty Power Of Love' (Mood II Swing Vox Mix)
08. BT 'Remember' (Mood II Swing Remix)
09. Eric Gadd 'The Right Way' (Mood II Swing Club Mix)
10. Kim English 'Learn 2 Luv' (Mood II Swing Mix)
11. Ultra Nate 'Free' (Mood II Swing Dub Mix)
CD2
01. Mood II Swing feat. Carol Sylvan 'Closer' (Swing II Mood Dub)
02. Mood II Swing 'All Night Long'
03. Eric Gadd 'The Right Way' (Mood II Swing Dub)
04. Wall Of Sound feat. Gerald Lethan 'Critical (If You Only Knew)' (Club Mix)
05. Stephanie Cooke 'Holding On To Your Love' (Mood II Swing Dub)
06. Rachid 'Pride' (Mood II Swing Club Mix)
07. Sarah Washington 'Everything' (Mood II Swing Club Mix)
08. Mood II Swing 'Can’t Get Away From You' (Original Mix)
09. Loni Clark 'Rushing' (Mood II Swing Mix)
10. Mood II Swing 'Love's Got Me (On A Trip So High)' (Mood II Swing Mix)
11. Mood II Swing pres. Loni Clark 'Searchin' (Vocal Mix)
CD3
01. Mood II Swing Productions pres. Wall Of Sound 'I Need Your Luv (Right Now)' (Lem's Church Mix)
02. BT 'Remember' (Mood II Swing Dub)
03. Loni Clark 'U' (Mood II Swing Dub)
04. The Club Kidds 'During Peak Hours' (Mood II Swing Dub)
05. Doubleplusgood 'Conga Té' (Mood II Swing 12" Mix)
06. Mood II Swing feat. John Ciafone 'Ohh'
07. Mood II Swing feat. John Ciafone 'Slippery Track'
08. Mood II Swing 'Nafara'
09. Mood II Swing 'Chicago Blues'
10. Mood II Swing Productions pres. Wall Of Sound '8 Ways To Knock Down A Wall'
11. Mood II Swing featuring John Ciafone 'I See U Dancing' (Remix)
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