EP Review: Maxey & Fred Spider – Voom Voom Grooves

Artist: Maxey & Fred Spider

Title: Voom Voom Grooves

Producers: Maxey & Fred Spider

Record Label: Spring Strut Records

Release Date: TBC

Track listing:

1. Heartache

2. What Kind of Lady

3. Batuque

Maxey and Fred Spider’s soon to be released EP titled Voom Voom Grooves through Spring Strut records is a Baker’s Assorted Biscuit collection of everything that the soles of your feet could ever ask for.

“Batuque” is an Afro/Brazilian house remix entangled in a head on collision with some hard-headed dub insensibilities. That’s my two cents worth about that. The end result is an admittedly refreshing sound. The way the pair have meshed together different musical influences blurs the lines that are created by a fraught loyalty to genre. After the first two minutes I was already in love with the beat. A slow head bop comes from nowhere as the intro kicks in and you slowly begin to recognise that familiar Samba/Afro Brazilian beat that induces the mandatory hip swaying and shoulder popping.

After this obvious and initial bias, I was forced to conduct a little survey. I decided to hold a listening session with a couple of mates of mine. All this was done in order to retain some semblance of integrity for a dance music magazine review, from an acknowledging house music addict. Needless to say, their reaction was the same as mine, a solid three out of three swivelling shoulder and head dips!

“Heartache” and “What Kind Of Lady” provide evidence for the EP’s deserved adulation. Maxey and Fred Spider cite a large and varying musical influence that is drawn from Jazz, Soul, Samba, Afro/Brazilian and Electronic House inspirations.

Maxey & Fred Spider – Heartache – Spring Strut by Spring Strut Rec

The ensuing 1960’s Jazz and Soul inspired pieces lay those influences prominently to the fore. The track list will take you through a range of emotions. Voom Voom Grooves definitely offers more than just DOOF DOOF music. The songs have a lot of soul which is a veritable stamp of any classic tune. The duo has stayed as far away from doing anything that even resembles contemporary popular music. Which is the one and only negative you could possibly find with this contribution. We’re more likely to hear these songs alongside a myriad of dance catalogued tunes on weekend radio shows, manned by actual DJ’s. Although “Heartache” is the most radio friendly track on the EP, because it’s released under a house music label it may not be at the top of the music compiler’s pile.

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