Tensnake's "Coma Cat" was a track everyone in the increasingly balkanized world of dance seemed to agree on. By neatly riding the tightrope connecting deep house restraint to more straightforward and populist impulses, the Hamburg-based producer hit a winning formula. The track became a hit in a diverse range of clubs and was re-released on the Defected label after its initial run on the more niche-oriented Permanent Vacation. It was even accompanied by a risqué video complete with dancing nymphets. Tensnake's follow-up, this 2xCD mix, ties together several strains of underground house that have achieved considerable currency in the past five years. It serves as a solid summation of the weird place dance music finds itself in 2011 and celebrates the genre's strengths while stubbornly sticking to its weaknesses. So as strong as the selections are, it feels more like Tensnake is in a holding pattern and falls short of suggesting a new direction.
While mainstream dance conquers the pop charts for the first time since the Jock Jams era (the Black Eyed Peas, David Guetta, etc.), the post-dubstep diaspora is challenging underground dance music's hold on its audience from the other direction. In the middle, the international polyglot of dance producers and DJs continues to build upon the trends of the past few years, reviving disco, 1980s boogie, Italo, Balearic beats, Detroit techno, and deep and acid house-- a constellation of sounds laid out in weekly Beats in Space podcasts. Of late, this scene seemed further disconnected from any sense of zeitgeist, which is why "Coma Cat"'s popular appeal was such a significant victory. It offered this scene a hero who not only played by the rules but also worked like an alchemist to transform varying influences into pop-house anthem gold.
On In the House, Tensnake largely succeeds at outlining an aesthetic that reflects this careful balance between hip references and hedonistic populism. He's a producer with a diverse range of trendy influences, but more importantly, he loves hooks, romantic emotionalism, and the kind of notes that easily pluck heartstrings on a dancefloor. The bulk of the first disc traces through these unabashed pop moves, with a heavy focus on disco. Tensnake's own "Need Your Lovin'" is a love-letter to 80s post-disco R&B that appears on the first disc; thankfully, he uses its "dub mix" here, as the original version veers close to Chromeo-style pastiche. An easy highlight of the first disc is Prins Thomas' remix of Al Usher's "Lullaby for Robert", a gorgeous instrumental that masterfully builds euphoric intensity through repetition. Tensnake also makes a clever connection with Michael Mayer's "Amanda" from 2000's Kompakt Total 2, a house edit of 80s Italo track "Precious Little Diamond" by Fox the Fox. Mayer's version appears prescient when considering the edits craze that took hold in the latter half of the decade.
The second disc shifts into more muscular territory, relying on the kind of sexualized grooves and trance-inducing repetition that characterized the classic Chicago house sound. Again, disco-infused classics, like Heaven & Earth's "Prescription Every Night" and DJ Sneak's filter house reconstruction of Chaka Khan's "Clouds" ("In Da Clouds") make their way into the mix, but this time, it's done in the service of a more aggressive, mechanized dancefloor sound. After the disc's "Coma Cat" apex, Tensnake increases the energy by building to an edit of legendary Chicago producer Armando's spiraling acid track "Don't Take It" before resolving to the traditional gospel-house of Phase II's "Reachin". The second disc, while not a brave new world for house heads, does capture some novelty in contrasting different approaches to physicality.
Ultimately, though, Tensnake's mix suffers because it epitomizes a style that seems calcified, as the trends of the last few years overstay their welcome. Tiger & Woods "Dr. Burner" is a solid disco edit, with an emotionally moving core, and it's hard to fault a rarity like Carol Williams "Can't Get Away (From Your Love)" or the untouchable Shirley Lites instrumental. Yes, the music is timeless-- "Heat You Up (Melt You Down)" is a staple for Chicago house DJs for as long as I can remember-- but those DJs are working in a long-running tradition, rather than mapping out a contemporary scene. In the House, as great as its selection is, feels more like a state-of-the-union celebration a few days into the decline. One possible "out" for producers to consider is the one that Classixx, who work in a similar vein of populist underground dance, have moved toward in the past few years-- to engage in a dialog with contemporary pop music. Or consider 2010 dance successes like Deadboy's re-edit of Drake's "Fireworks", or Soul Clap's remix of R. Kelly. These data points don't quite feel like a movement at this point, but they do offer a potential direction for house producers focused on the history books.
