X-Mix: Jack the Box

by Tim DiGravinaHardfloor's contribution to Stud!o K7's X-Mix series sees the duo concentrating on acid sounds. Dedicated to "the late Armando, one of the inventors of acid house," Jack the Box is a hour-long continuous mix of classic Chicago tracks with a couple of new Hardfloor originals thrown in for good measure. It's safe to say that the majority of these 20 tracks will be of interest only to people who were part of the acid scene when it was still thriving, and even then, only hardcore dance addicts or those yearning for nostalgia will stay the course. Though Oliver Bondzio and Ramon Zenker do a decent job of signaling the start of one song and the beginning of the next (for better or worse), by introducing the tracks' samples before the music shifts, the entire affair is bogged down by a general lack of energy. Yes, the songs all move at a good clip, but these 303 bass sounds are mostly hampered by a lack of overall finesse in the arrangements department. Too many of the songs are crafted from subpar samples and clichéd analog beats. The mix doesn't really get interesting until the final tracks by Spanky and Sleezy D., and by then it's far too late to salvage the album. The dated nature of the music was going to be a strike against Hardfloor before they even started; that they didn't embellish the tracks or even choose the best representatives of the acid sound to begin with makes Jack the Box a frustrating listen.