Essential Mix Review: Hot Natured and two hours of unpredictably playful house
This weekend’s Essential Mix duties went to Lee Foss, Jamie Jones, Luca C, and Ali Love their Hot Natured collective earned its two-hour slot on global airwaves as a collective. Their outing for Pete Tong was an off-beat venture of the Hot Natured sound with a slightly daring slingshot of a track selection; the opening track was none other than Outkast’s “ATLiens,” where Andre 3000’s drops a lyrical testimony that’d apply to the remainder of the mix: “my oral illustration be like clitoral stimulation.”
Material from Different Sides of the Sun, their recent full length album, didn’t receive special treatment, fairing as equally as the rest of the obscure finds and unidentifiable tracks — shying away from the showcasing their own music as an artist with an album would, given such audience. The Hot Creation overlords even duck that album’s tone, and hop over some usual tricks from their imprint’s deck.
Sure, there’s a lot of that signature house — the kind fan faithfuls would tune in for, and enough to keep them pleased — but the team refrain from keeping serious faces on for too long at a time. For two hours, they’re playful. They even ditch the beat completely for a few minutes with what’s credited as an “ID Edit” of Pharrell William’s “Happy,” but sounds more like the original record with the treble turned up and bass turned down; not even in anticipation for some grand surprise, but to flow back into the usual sound quite simply.
The following moments through closing kept tighter to Hot Natured’s, well, hot nature, with the mix’s third act weaving established house with IDs, eventually to wrap the two-hour effort with JETS’ “Gold” and wise words to counter those earlier of the Outkast rapper: “everything I touch turns to gold.”
[00:00] 01. Essential Mix – Intro (02:07)
[02:07] 02. OutKast – ATliens (02:13)
[04:19] 03. Horror Inc. – Dans La Nuit (09:09)
[13:28] 04. Moodymann – No (02:53)
[16:21] 05. ID – ID (04:11)
[20:32] 06. Todd Terje – Delorean Dynamite (05:04)
[25:37] 07. Heiko Voss – I Think About You (Geiger Mix) (04:20)
[29:57] 08. ID – ID (02:56)
[32:53] 09. ID – ID (04:30)
[37:23] 10. ID – ID (02:33)
[39:56] 11. ID – ID (06:20)
[46:16] 12. Michael Claus – Cloudy Day Beat (Solc Remix) (03:57)
[50:13] 13. ID – ID (05:03)
[55:16] 14. ID – ID (08:49)
[64:06] 15. Mic Mills – Wonderland (Edit) (05:32)
[69:37] 16. Shadows Movement – I.D. (05:22)
[74:59] 17. Moodymann feat. Andres – Lyk U Use 2 (04:58)
[79:57] 18. Pharrell Williams – Happy (ID Edit) (04:04)
[84:01] 19. ID – ID (07:58)
[92:00] 20. Colin Dale – That’s What I’m Here For (2011 Remaster) (05:57)
[97:57] 21. ID – ID (04:08)
[102:05] 22. ID – ID (01:58)
[104:03] 23. Celsius – Thirds & Fourths (04:32)
[108:35] 24. Jori Hulkkonen feat. Nick Triani – Science (Aril Brikha Remix) (06:20)
[114:55] 25. JETS feat. Jamie Lidell – Midas Touch (ID Remix) (04:37)