Riva Starr – I Was Drunk (Remixes) review

Few DJs in recent years have had such an incredible rise to the top as Naples’ native Riva Starr. His Balkan-influenced collaboration with Noze “I Was Drunk” has become his calling card and now he’s treating fans to this incredible remix collection, on Jesse Rose’s Made To Play imprint.

The legendary DJ Sneak, a colossus of Chicago house and an inspiration for a generation of producers, turns in two unique mixes that are both utterly essential. His Drunken Main mix is simple but wildly effective – taking the original, chopping up sections and extending the tension via some masterful build-ups. It’s the perfect tool for DJs – staying faithful to the original while still adding that peak-hour excitement – and there’s also an instrumental to play with too. Sneak’s Drunken Disco mix is more radical but just as powerful. Stripping out the accordions and acoustic guitars, he layers the vocal over a deep jacking beat that slowly builds around it. More radical but just as cool is Spiller and 2 Guys in Venice’s remix that transforms the whimsical original into a harsh, almost industrial electro stomp before brilliantly ushering in the original over a cavalcade of lice handclaps.

Horatio and Katoline come through for the tech house fans with a stunning deep and driving version as do Israeli duo P.T.M, who construct a thrillingly intense mix that uses cuts from the original to lift the vibe to grand heights. As if all this wasn’t enough, the single also includes a huge new mix of “Dance Me” by Jesse Rose that can only be described as explosive. A truly great collection of mixes from the cream of the crop – you’d be mad to pass up on these drunken masters!

Review: Oliver Keens