Label: Maelstrom
Release Date: March 2008
Judge Jules returns to kick start 2008 with a bang and something brand new in the shape of the mighty anthem "Laid Bare".
2007 was without a storming year for dance music and as usual the Judge was in the thick of it all year. From his Ibiza residency to global tours and rinsing it out proper during the festival season, there really isn't a better DJ on the planet who knows the right ingredients to make a dance-floor shake.
Original Mix
When this dropped through the letterbox, I was a bit worried. Avid readers of this forum may have noticed I'm not exactly his greatest fan. So when I popped the CD in the player I was pleasantly surprised to find a nice building beat to start things off. Alas, come the breakdown everything goes wrong. A synth and peak that remind me of Voodoo & Serano's "Blood Is Pumpin'" soon appear, and it really doesn't suit the rest of the song at all. Things do however change dramatically when the beat kicks back in with a rather addictive tech bassline. Then we go downhill again as for some reason that breakdown synth is slapped on top of the good stuff in rather disastrous fashion. The best way I can describe this song is an extremely commercial version of Simon Patterson's "Bulldozer". It could have been really good, still in all honesty it was a lot better than I expected.
Trumpet Mix
This is simple to review. The same length as the original, builds exactly the same, just the breakdown is performed with a trumpet rather than a synth. That's right, a trumpet. I would love to know where Jules gets his ideas from. In a cheesy way, I can see the appeal of it, but it's just not for me.
Rating:
It started off so well, but then it got far too naff.
5/10
Useful links:
Maelstrom
Review by Matt Turner
www.mattturner.me.uk
