DJ Kicks

Andrea Parker's contribution to Studio !K7's long-running mix series DJ-Kicks is, expectedly, heavy on electro past and present. The set's timing was market-driven; electro's periodic "revivals" are almost as predictable as the scores of second-rate tracks full of preset 808 beats and overzealous vocoders that inevitably follow. !K7 at least had the sense to call in someone with the knowledge and skill to put an interesting set together; Parker's DJ-Kicks also does double duty as a peek behind the curtain of her own fascinating, still-developing sound. The mixing is adequate, but Parker's set is ultimately about track selection, and most of what's on offer here is excellent, including classics like 69's "Desire," Model 500's "Night Drive," Man Parrish's "Hip Hop Be Bop (Don't Stop)," and C.O.D.'s "In the Bottle," as well as relative newcomers like Drexciya, Dopplereffekt, Voigt Kampff, and Gescom (aka Autechre). -All Music Guide