Julio Bashmore – Knockin’ Boots – (Broadwalk Records)
DMC World Magazine
Julio Bashmore – aka Matt Walker – takes house music back to its first principles, and his approach makes ‘Knockin’ Boots’ an entertaining and extremely danceable album. With a seemingly inexhaustible supply of hooks, vocal snippets, funky basslines and bouncy beats he definitely puts the ‘fun’ back in funky – as anyone hearing ‘What’s Mine Is Mine’, the Van-Helden aping ‘She Ain’t’ and the maddening loops of ‘Bark’ will testify. There is a sensitive side, too – ‘Holding On’, featuring Sam Dew, has a warm centre, while ‘Rhythm Of Auld’ is a really well constructed combination of soul and chunky house. ‘Knockin’ Boots’ succeeds because it’s not too serious and has a heart – two aspects many house producers could learn a lot from – and because the music at its disposal is extremely catchy. Definitely one of the top house music albums this year.
