- Recently I had the pleasure of seeing M.A.N.D.Y. play in Sydney and was impressed. They (well only one of the duo played) really impressed through the track selection, playing some solid tracks in the 2 hours. But you would expect that seeing as M.A.N.D.Y. set such high standards with their very own productions; it seems only natural that their DJ’ing talents mirror their impeccable taste of a good track, and this brings us to Body Language, a mix collection by the duo of Patrick Bodmer and Philipp Jung.
The mix on the whole is very smooth and flows very well, especially considering that there is a total of 21 tracks in the mix. The vibe early is quite minimal yet it has a smooth funk to it. ‘Panoramic’ by Booka Shade is an early highlight with a chunky squelching baseline riding the track amongst some quirky wiggling effects and smooth crisp beats. ‘Quiet’ by Marlow is short but very sweet thanks to the chunky baseline that is simply irresistible. There is a good bounce to Dub Kult’s ‘On and On’ and Robag Whrume’s mix of Slam’s ‘This World’ lifts the mix up a notch thanks to some smooth string patterns and a solid flow of beats and haunting kick drums. Hans-Peter Lindstrom provides a deep retro infused production in ‘I Feel Space’ as the mix starts to gather a good pace to it. Expect some good stuff as usual from Tiefschwarz as he unleashes some quirky melodies in ‘Issst’. James Holden gets in on the act with a quirky and tripped out remix of ‘Safari’ by Andre Kraml, and to be honest it is a great highlight thanks to some throbbing baselines and some warped effects. M.A.N.D.Y and Booka Shade unite to deliver a great production, and indeed the title track in ‘Body Language’, a production that has a smooth bouncy electro base and fits perfectly late in the piece. The Henri Schwarz Remix of ‘Faces And Places’ concludes the mix is some smooth style with a nice piano line and a cheeky acid line late on.
If there is one fault in this mix for me, it perhaps lies in the arrangement and flow of the mix as a whole. I quite like when a mix builds and takes some twists, but for me this mix lacked that element. In saying that, this mix has a great selection of tracks, which perhaps is a tad more important as it keeps you interested throughout, and will do so for many more months. Some great artists are doing great things on this mix, and although the flow is perhaps not what I was looking for, it is surely rectified thanks to a stellar line up of great productions.