Scot producer Burns has certainly announced his presence on the British scene, leaving his mark already via head-turning remixes of tracks by some of the bright young things of the last few years, including Ladyhawke and Passion Pit. This double-CD mix album follows a number of releases, with the latest, the ‘So Many Nights’ EP, attracting a lot of chatter in the internet dance music community. While the first disc is very much an enjoyable foray into house and techno territory, ideal for anyone looking to recreate that clubbing feeling away from the dance floor, it is this album’s second disc which provides a real insight into who and what Burns is. Hence on disc one we have classic floor-filling acts like Armand Van Helden’s ‘Ski Hard’ and a hot remix of Gossip’s ‘Heavy Cross’, while Burns gets truly diverse on disc number two, displaying a taste for quirky French dance-pop in the bubblegum-coated form of Yelle’s ‘Ce Jeu’ and funk-tinged house on his own ‘Heartbeats’, amid a myriad of other styles. Ultimately it is a trance reworking of Empire of the Sun’s ‘We The People’, ending proceedings on a high, which shows just what BURNS is capable of.
The Joy Formidable this week kick of their biggest ever tour, supporting Editors, Passion Pit and The Temper Trap throughout the rest of the year. After the shows they head back to the studio to finish off their debut album, which is scheduled for a spring 2010 release.
