V/A - Forever In Their Debt : Vol 1

This is a collection of remixed classic soul and funk tracks, three out of five of which are handled by Craig Smith, Edinburgh's DJ guru and soul aficionado. He would appear to be a natural choice based on his track record, so what surprises is just how far from the mark his results are. The tracks are so heavily remixed that they have lost almost all their recognisable qualities and charms, reduced to soundbites and samples. DJ 2Three's Mash-Up of the Specials' A Message to you Rudy over an Aaliyah acapella and half-step beat is bubblegum pop, and is unbearable within a short space of time. OOFT's edit of Marvin Gaye's Funky Space Reincarnation is more respectful of the source material, leaving Gaye's vocals largely intact, albeit slightly tweaked. But, as always with these types of projects, they all utterly pale in comparison with the original. All in all a rather hollow enterprise. [Jack McFarlane]