The Mix

Fashionably Cool
by: john reed

As popular as the cable channel’s E! and VH1 are, I could do without those boring fashion specials (e.g. VH1 Fashion Awards). As I am no fan of these garment love fests, imagine my shock when I stumbled upon Fashion TV.

Fashion TV is basically a 24 hour cable channel which broadcasts fashion shows and all sorts of fashion allied concerns - not exactly “Must See TV.”

While the need (?) for such a broadcast must have appealed to enough wallets to finance a virtual MTV with runways escapes me, the soundtrack from Fashion TV (called The Mix) is certainly something that does not.

Though from the CD cover, one may think they are picking up just another Ibiza-laced dance compilation, The Mix at times sounds like it could have been the third CD in the Studio 54 movie soundtrack series and has more highlights than one could have anticipated.

Superstar DJ’s “Let’s Be Free” has a distinct flavor that is late 90’s euro-dance while Duplex’s “Flying High” revels in the glory days of 70’s dance so accurately, one would think that computer disco pioneering producer Giorgio Mordoder fingers were involved in the mix.

A nicely placed and not overused horn adds zest to the mid-tempod salsa of the Major Boys’ (featuring Aurelia) “Sous le soleil.” The Major Boys’ summer 2002 club hit Panamerica is also included and the Boys also add a slick remixing to Pearl’s “Higher.”

The set does take some missteps with Paul Johnson’s monotonous “Follow This Beat” and the Dan Marciano’s slightly annoying electronic drum machine fronted “Project.”

That aside, The Mix offers more enjoyment in its 12 songs than the TV wasteland of a channel that it’s derive from. 07-Feb-2003 10:15 AM