Bad Boy Bill - Bangin' the Box, Vol. 5 (CD)

All Music Guide

While a good number of dance compilations attempt to simulate the peaks and valleys of an all-night event by spreading the music over two entire discs, Chicago legend Bad Boy Bill's Bangin' the Box series has long applied the opposite tack. While the fifth edition uses fewer tracks than ever before (only 27 records this time out), Bill is still able to generate an intensely compressed vibe throughout this release. Hard-hitting and Hi-NRG throughout, his are still not mixes for the faint of heart. Featured moments include the Harry "Choo Choo" Romero "f-word"-ridden "The Cricket Mix" laid over David Garcia's "Robofunk" and the brief smattering of Sebastien Leger's "We Are." "Happy," a throwback to some classic, diva-esque funk, is the only one of Bad Boy's productions to appear here. Overall, the principal advantage to Bad Boy Bill's filled-to the-brim ethic for his collections is that there's a diminished snore factor associated with some of the major-league progressive house mixes (wi...tness John Digweed's "Global Underground: Los Angeles"). But when the groove is near-perfect (as it is when he reaches Felix Da House Cat's "Silver Screen"), the moment is far too fleeting. - JoE Silva, All Music Guide Read more Less