Dirty Vegas is a British house music trio that is most well known or their hit single ‘Days Go By’. That single, made popular by the Mitsubishi television advertisement, not only was a success in the United States, but debuted in the top 20 in the United Kingdom.
The group is made up of Ben Harris, Paul Harris (no relation to each other), and Steve Smith. Smith is the only one that provides vocals while other two focused on instruments and production.
On this particular album there are many well-known artists that appear from rack to track. The most well known would have to be Kylie Minogue who appears on the first track called ‘Love at First Sight.’ You will also find DJ remixes from guys like Oscar G & Ralph Falcon and 440 Central.
In the first track right out of the gate you have intense grooves and a fast beat to get your feet moving. Kylie’s vice, which alone can make a track incredible, is filled throughout. To mix that with the house turned techno breaks that the Harris boys throw in here make for an amazing start to this album. (Listen for the line “The music you were playing really blew my mind.” This will be the highlight of the song as just when you think it’s over you are thrown right back inside.
The second track, featuring Oscar G and Ralph Falcon, has a deep almost German concentration camp feel. The title of the track, ‘Dark Beat’, could not be more perfect for the way you are taken into this song. Having an almost Devo feel at points, and the way the music goes up and down and back again can have you wanting more from the start. The Jamaican drums that are in the middle of the track make this song one to blare on your speakers with the windows down. I look to music for motivation and this is a song that I can not only find motivation from but also inspiration.
Moving to track three you will hear a voice that has become nearly boring these days. All the while it is not her, Underworld’s voice (the featured artist on this third track) sounds like every Duffy and Winehouse want to be out there. The song starts out with a nice backing beat but when she starts talking you want to hit the next button. However, do not hit that back button. The talking leads to an incredible progression that will make you want to dance the song away. Keeping the same dark undertones that it had before you move to a happier more filling and almost organ sound. The song is titled ‘2 Months Off’. Not sure as to the reasoning behind the title but this track comes in as one of my personal favorites. The talking does pick up toward the end but if you didn’t know better you would have thought you had heard three totally different tracks in a little over five minutes.
Timo Maas comes in as a featured artist on the next track titled ‘See’. Starting slow, like so many house songs out there, this one picks up pretty quickly as well. The Harris boys utilize the Jamacan drum sounds yet again but it does not seem that they are ever over using that sound. The track has very little singing with a heavy influence on the spoken word concept. This, in my opinion, has its place in music. But in house music I feel it should never be touched. You are mixing water and oil here by having quick beats and slow word.
King Unique brings in a remix in the next track titled ‘Keep on Moving’. Toward the middle of the track you get an almost chant from the backing vocals. When I hear this song I get the feeling I am sitting in high school watching the marching band practice their half time routine. Upbeat bringing back memories.
The next track is the first chance on the album to hear Dirty Vegas without any help from other DJs or artists. And you can see, not thirty seconds into the track, that these guys know their way around a lounge. Keeping a very toned down beat, but bringing you into the first round of vocals should come with a free dirty martini. The song titled ‘Changes’ has a calm and relaxing feeling about it that warrants candles by the end of the song.
The next track, by far one of my favorite songs on the entire album, is titled ‘Ghosts’ and featured a vocal set by M.A.S. The song gives you an immediate feeling of October and Halloween. It feels dark, scary, and at some parts as if you need to close your eyes and be afraid for a few moments. There are no vocals in this track, but in my opinion I love non vocal house and trance music. This is a perfect song for the fans out there that just want to listen to the layers of house music.
The transition into ‘Be Yourself And No One Else’ is spotless and you never hear a switch from one song to the next. Keeping the same beat, the same progression, and introducing vocals is where this album should have started.
The next track takes a quick break, but don’t think you can get up and make popcorn in the short silence. The track leads right into a song called ‘Temptation’. This track seems to be, in my unwarranted mind, quite sexual. With a line “If I am your temptation can I let you come inside my walls.” is only the beginning of where that stanza leads. The beat behind the seduction is quite nice but you are overwhelmed by the lyrics.
We are led right into a Smokemirror dub called ‘Know For Sure’. This track keeps a very similar set of beats but adds a more mature, polished voice to overcompensate for the ‘hack’ we have heard all along. The beats try to slow but they are held up by the pure genius behind the lyrics. You will hear sounds that you know are made from a synthesizer, but don’t care. By the way, this song ends with those wonderful Jamacain drums we have talked so much about.
The next song, by far the best song that I feel Dirty Vegas will ever release, is called ‘Talkin’ About A Revolution.’ The beat slows a bit but the voice that carries the line “Talkin’ about a revolution,” over and over again puts you in the center of a peace rally. Whatever the ‘revolution’ that she is speaking of you can hear the utter passion, desire, and love behind her voice.
Starting to wrap up the album we are brought to a track called ‘Coffee Beats, Volume 2.’ This track begins with the drums, yet again, but does not over power you still. However, with no lyrics you get an over bearing length of drums.
However, this leads into an incredible set of lyrics featuring the Alex Neri Club. This song, and whoever wrote these lyrics, needs to win a song writer’s award somewhere in their career. These lyrics match so well with the beats that the Harris boys throw it with and is what I consider, even though not my favorite sone on the album, one that will make this album worth every penny you spend on it. This is the last song on the album and leaves you wanting more and more from Dirty Vegas.
*The rating system will be based on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being terrible and 10 being impossible. Look for this rating at the start of every single review.
