- This is Pete Tong and Sarah Main: The Sequel. Last year the twosome went to Pacha and returned with a solid pair of mixes that were most notable for the introduction of Main to the art of the DJ compilation. Taking her chance with both hands, she eclipsed Tong with a great party set of chunky house, funky round the edges.
Here the balance gets redressed somewhat, but it’s safe to say Sarah Main has consolidated her craft over the last year. A cool start breaks the listener in gently with Booka Shade’s subtle ‘In White Rooms’, and though the early tracks take a while to hang together, once she’s into her stride Main shows willingness to change direction and include different strains of house music.
Sure, there’s a bit of a judder between Kirk Degiorgio’s ‘Starwaves’ and Richard Grey’s ‘Come Into My Life’, but in a sense that’s reassuring – human intervention rather than computer precision. Highlights include the obvious – Loleatta Holloway’s ‘Love Sensation’ in Dead Stereo guise – but also the more subtle ‘Swinger’s Delight’, with DJ Mas and Paul Cari’s funky house number including a bassline that cuts through the speakers nicely.
Meanwhile Pete Tong’s mix is excellent, and he seems more at home when free to choose what he wants rather than when his agenda is a commercial one. Sure there are a couple of big hitters here – Tiefschwarz and Julien Jabre add an emotive edge to the opening section, while Fedde Le Grand’s mighty ‘Put Your Hands Up For Detroit’ signals a change of direction through the middle.
But while these have all made the transition above ground, it’s the depth and continuity of his set that impresses here. From warmly Balearic beginnings, the mix moves to take electro as its base with strong material from Kurd Maverick and the ever-present Booka Shade, before returning to warmer climbs at the finish.
Tong shades it then, but in truth both mixes press the right buttons and complement each other nicely. A decent guide to where it’s been at in Pacha this summer.