Live @ Roxy, Vol. 3

by David Jeffries A little darker than usual, Peter Rauhofer comes up with a winning set of hypnotic house on his third installment of the Live @ Roxy series. There's a little bit of the tribal drums the DJ has favored in the past, but Rauhofer is moving in a more silicon-sleek direction with tracks that have more than their fair share of bleeps and blips. Disc one is filled with them and even if it takes a bit to get going, it is the more satisfying disc. Sampling the old chestnut "Dominatrix Sleeps Tonight," Lenny Mantuano's "Women Beat Their Men" is an eerie-cool highlight. "Jungle Out There" from the Tribal Gang is another dark thriller, and Martin H's "Over" is trippy disco well worth hearing. Going for the gusto from the start, disc two isn't as good for the headphones but perfect for the dancefloor, nighttime highway driving, and an hour or so on the treadmill. Mixed to perfection by Rauhofer, disc two's highlights are harder to pick out than the first's, but Murk's steamy and yearning "Time" is a winner and a sexy closer. Other than the slick, bleepy edge to the set, this is the same old Rauhofer workout with no surprises for return customers. Still, the guy can throw on two Madonna remixes -- both very, very good -- and sound deep and totally N.Y.C. underground. Who's complaining?