- When Hercules & Love Affair's eponymous album was unleashed a little bit more than a year ago on DFA Records, it was clear that even though it was Andy Butler's first foray into the long player business, he was no novice. Butler had plenty of DJing and dancing experiences, the right connections (James Murphy, Tim Sweeney, Antony Hegarty, In Flagranti, etc.) and a considerable—and, we'd assume, impeccable—record collection. Sidetracked, the new mix-CD series from Renaissance, is touted as the type of compilation that'll give us access to a producer's formative years and taste-making favorites. Consequently, if the genesis of Hercules & Love Affair (and of most of the stuff released in NYC on DFA or Rong in recent years, for that matter) is an obsession of yours, then this should be more than satisfying.
If you put aside recent neo-disco offerings from Butler's friends In Flagranti and Daniel Wang (who recorded an exclusive cut for this release), and a Hercules newbie (a bleep-y slo-mo house number that recalls early Warp act Forgemasters), most of the material compiled here is vintage disco tracks or stuff from the late '80s/early '90s, i.e. when acid started to leave the warehouse and moved to the garage. So on one side, Butler indulges in the diva house of "Weekend" by Todd Terry Project, "Oh Oh Why" by Rhythm Masters and Studio X's "Los Kinds Del Mambo," all with expressive vocal performances that can be seen as the template for Hercules' own Nomi Ruiz's cooing; and on the other hand, Dubwise's "Hold Me Real Tight" and Fax Yourself's "Sunshine" have all the echoes of either a lost Belgian new-beat classic or a Kevin Saunderson-sponsored production, the latter being the obvious point of reference for Hercules & Love Affair's own "You Belong." The proper disco portion appears at the very end, as Dr. Buzzards Original Savannah Band, Ray Martinez, Gino Soccio and Rainbow Team all team up to create the kind of selection that would accompany a reading of The Disco Files.
Intertwined in all of this, you also get self-reflexive chatter from singing and partying friends Kim Ann Foxman (the other Hercules woman), Aerea Negrot and a certain Shayne Oliver, as well as Bobby Viteritti, all proving that Butler's craft is and has always been a truly collaborative effort and that his vision of dance music is firmly social.
Which makes this both a pertinent and celebratory compilation, especially if you're into the more recondite corners of record digging. That said, in some sense the mix is also a little bit superfluous: Hercules & Love Affair was a full-on self-explanatory release that didn't need a handbook to be fully appreciated, let alone understood. Furthermore, going back to roots somehow diminishes, albeit slightly, the peerless nature of the album in the context of contemporary US house. One would hope that by sharing his inspiration and the mysteries behind his flair, Butler won't dilute it and somehow lose it, because for better or for worse, these Sidetracked tracks, which are also available on CD-2 in unmixed and remastered formats, now belongs to you too, and there is now nothing he can do to get them back.
TracklistCD1: Mixed
01. Westbam - And Party
02. Sax – No Pares (Don’t Stop)
03. Hercules & Love Affair – I Can’t Wait
04. In Flagranti – I Never Screwed Around Before
05. Dubwise – Hold me Real Tight
06. Fax Yourself – Sunshine
07. Todd Terry Project – Weekend
08. Daniel Wang – Zola Has Landed
09. Rhythm Masters – Oh Oh Why
10. Los Kings Del Mambo – Studio X
11. Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band – I’ll Play The Fool
12. Ray Martinez Jnr – Lady of the Night
13. Gino Soccio – Dream On
14. Rainbow Team – Dreaming
CD2: Unmixed
01. Westbam – And Party
02. In Flagranti – I Never Screwed Around Before
03. Dubwise – Hold me Real Tight
04. Fax Yourself – Sunshine
05. Todd Terry Project – Weekend
06. Daniel Wang – Zola Has Landed
07. Los Kings Del Mambo – Studio X
08. Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band – I’ll Play The Fool
09. Ray Martinez Jnr – Lady of the Night
10. Gino Soccio – Dream On
11. Rainbow Team – Dreaming