Various – Watergate 06 (mixed by dOP) review

French house troupe dOP take hold of the reigns for the sixtth instalment in the mix series for the mighty Watergate club. They follow in the footsteps of past contributors to the series, Onur Özer, Sascha Funke, Konrad Black, Sebo K, and Ellen Alien, all of whom have also been guests or residents at the Berlin club.

dOP’s session makes you feel as if you’ve stepped onto the club’s famed LED lit dancefloor during peak time. In fact, the mix starts off with a live recording from the club itself, the sounds of people chattering in the background as the music eases its way in and takes control of your body. The mix runs mostly hard and/or deep, and then tapers off, finally ending with the aptly titled “Goodbye,” a mellow, horn-laden, end-of-night closing number (or the song you would have in your car stereo or headphones on your journey home). Despite the big club feel, the Parisian trio are actually a band who just happen to release 12-inch records the way producers do. Their compositions are created using a mixture of live instruments like keyboards and saxophone, meshed together with electronic components.

With one exception (a Motor City Drum Ensemble remix of Art of Tones’ “Call the Shots”), all of the track selections are dOP’s own previously unreleased productions and remixes, all created especially for the mix. Taking their sound beyond the strict confines of house, influences from their previous lives making non-electronic music creep in. Many of the tracks are also collaborations with friends Nôze, Aquarius Heaven, Daniele Papini, Seuil, Mathias Kaden, Catz & Dogz, and Warieka. With all this new material, Watergate 06 serves as a good segue to dOP’s debut album, due for release later this year. Consider your appetite whetted.

Review: Helen Luu