Danny Howells

Miami #027 (Global Underground)
By Tim Den

International DJ sensation Danny Howells supposedly picked Miami as his city of choice when making the latest remix album for Global Underground because it’s a place with a “dark undercurrent.” “Scratch the surface of Miami,” Howells says. “And there’s something a lot more twisted there.” Being a Miami native, I can attest to the man’s words. Unfortunately, this two-disc set doesn’t reflect the same hinted malevolence. That’s not a hindrance; Miami #027 is jam-packed with come-down bleepy bloopy deep house on one platter and skewed techno/spacey disco on the other. It caters to the entire spectrum of moods an evening on Ocean Blvd. can invoke, and avoids cheap trance tricks and clubby clichés by remaining ever-changing. However, I wish that Howells had been on a diet of Tension and Timescape Zero (old Miami hardcore bands) before making this – or at least Kid606 – because adding a sinister element to the proceedings would’ve definitely made the results more interesting, not to mention worthy of the album’s locale.
(www.globalunderground.co.uk)