The only surprise with Funkadelic vs Detroit is that nobody thought of it sooner. Given the influence George Clinton and his merry men have held over the city in the last 30 years ago, a fundamental part of the creation of techno in the first place, it makes complete sense for electronic producers of the day to pay homage in the way they have here. It is a brilliantly assembled set of 17 tracks, with a wide range of styles and flicks. Recloose gets a shuffle on with ‘Sexy Ways’, a brilliantly realised trip to the middle of the dancefloor, while Moodymann is the right choice to bring out the vocal on ‘Cosmic Slop’. Claude Young Jr adds a sprinkling of star dust to club and dub mixes of ‘You And Your Folks’, and that’s before we even mention Amp Fiddler’s ultra-groovy version of ‘Let’s Take It To The Stage’. It helps that the vocals are so vivid and madcap, lending themselves to earthier mixes like Kenny Dixon’s ‘Let’s Make It Last’. Few remix albums are this good, this varied, and this essential – and in this case, transcending eras!
Ben Hogwood
5 out of 5
