Review: Wolf + Lamb Vs. Soul Clap DJ-KiCKS release

!K7 Records brings us the first DJ-KiCKS mix of 2011 and scores an early winner with a team up remix by Wolf + Lamb and Soul Clap.  Wolf + Lamb are DJ's/Producers/Club and Hotel owners Gadi Mizrahi and Zev Eisenberg from Brooklyn, NYC.  Soul Clap are Boston DJ/Producer duo Eli Goldtein and Charles Levin.  The huge twenty-seven track collaboration includes nine exclusive tracks and features a multitude of synth sounds and groovy beats throughout.  Twenty-seven sounds like a lot of tracks but there are quite a few quick hits and interludes that make it flow very nicely and limit the time to just over an hour.

The compilation's highlights are most notably done by Minnesotan and Wolf + Lamb label artist Greg Paulus (no not THAT Greg Paulus) from Brooklyn's "No Regular Play" which he started with childhood friend Nick DeBruyn.  I really enjoyed the Soul Clap remix of Paulus' "Suchashame."  Paulus' trumpet playing is beautifully somber on the track and is accompanied by warm synth tones, smooth bass lines, and a mid-tempo house beat.  It has quite the cinematic feeling as I envisioned it being part of a film-noir soundtrack when the gumshoe finds the arms of a damsel in distress.

Some other favorites include the extra terrestrial dance funk number "Goodbye Summer" by Tanner Ross, which has a funky bass line and tons of great synth soundscapes.  "Rough Patch" by Slow Hands is a tropically-flavored track with its light latin-style percussion driving the beat and includes a beautiful, distant sounding guitar solo mixed in with some intermittent string hits.  "Takin' U Back" done by No Regular Play might be my favorite track which is a mid-tempo house dance number with a hint of disco.  Another very well done track is the Soul Clap remix of DJ Harvey's solo project "Locussolus" track, "Next To You."  It enjoys some warm ambient synth chords and flowing string parts all surrounding a slightly uptempo dance track.

The album, as previously stated, has a number of different sounds, from hard hitting 80's synth pop styled dance to chilled out house, but they all come together terrifically in one nicely chilled out package. I will definitely have to check out more of Greg Paulus and No Regular Play as well as some of the many other great artists on this release after giving it a spin.  Thanks to !K7 Records for putting out an extraordinary first compilation of the year!  I'm waiting with bated breath now to see what they come out with next time!

-Chris