Peter Rauhofer - Essential Mix (CD)

All Music Guide

Peter Rauhofer's entry into the Essential Mix series highlights tracks from his Star Sixty Nine label, along with a few tracks from more popular progressive house-leaning labels like Bedrock and Yoshitoshi. As a result, Rauhofer's mix tends to be a little more oriented toward the progressive house side of the scale than the New York house side. This mix plays like a Global Underground mix more than like what you'd hear if you actually heard Rauhofer spin records in New York. It's disappointing in that aspect -- you feel like Rauhofer's catering to the masses rather than to his devoted and primarily gay New York following. But this probably shouldn't come as much of a surprise. Despite Rauhofer's allegiance to the circuit party scene and New York, he's always set his aim on commercial success, no doubt confirmed by his 2000 Grammy win. So, essentially, what you get here is Rauhofer modeling a set after the most popular progressive house DJs of the era such as Deep Dish and John Digweed.... It's tough to criticize his mix because it's actually one of 2001's better progressive house mixes, but you can't help feeling that Rauhofer is shafting his followers in favor of mainstream success. - Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide Read more Less