A GUY CALLED GERALD - Blow Your House Down

 

A GUY CALLED GERALD
Blow Your House Down remixes Split
****

Can't say we particularly remember the B-side to Guy Called Gerald acid house monster 'Voodoo Ray' and that may well be because it is simply not as memorable as its more well-known sibling. The 'Blow Your House Down' original included here is an atmospheric acid cut that probably would have worked okay back in 1988 but lacks the spark of magic that made `Voodoo Ray' such an enduring classic. Chris Finke's mix gives things a more contemporary edge simply by giving a little more oomph to the beats, Ben Simms takes things dark and dirty for his heavy acid-techno work-out, but it's the Freaks who turn in the best mix, injecting bucket-loads of wonky funk into the spooky synth lines and chunky acid riffs of the original for a cheeky stripped-down acid groover that is good enough to make the whole re-issue package worthwhile on its own. (TI)

A GUY CALLED GERALD
Blow Your House Down
(Remixes) Split
****½

There's nothing like some acid house nostalgia, especially when the accompanying remixes treat the original track respectfully. In this case, Gerald's cartoon voice sampling 303 workout, the B-side to `Voodoo Ray', gets interpreted by the residents at the Split night. Sims' `Soka' version centres on restrained, noisy beats, Smith & Selway add an evil bassline, Paul Mac tweaks the add line to the verge of insanity, and best of all, British Murder Boys add some industrial might to Gerald's evergreen groove.

A GUY CALLED GERALD
Blow Your House Down (Remixes)
Split Music
***

The B-side to the seminal `Voodoo Ray', this slightly more obscure acid-house classic gets remixed by Ben Sims and Freaks.

Jimpster: "This is extremely old skool. It's an old Guy Called Gerald tune? That would explain why it sounds old skool. I don't know the original but I probably would have bought it back in 1988, it's the sort of thing I would have been into back then.

"Gerald's another one of those guys who's an absolute legend with all the stuff he did with 808 State. Without him, there wouldn't have been half of the British dance music that there is now. He's done some really nice productions – I really liked the drum & bass album (`Black Secret Technology') that he did.

"If I wanted to play some classics, there are better tunes from 1988 than this one. I can see why they got Freaks in to remix it, they use a lot of those old-skool influences but their mix is a bit too retro and a bit too comedy for me. I can see what they were trying to do but I wouldn't play it."