As DJ-ing becomes increasingly popular with the crowds in Los Angeles, the scathing turntable aficionados are harder to satisfy. They want more. They want the good stuff. !K7 brings more and gives it all with their latest DJ-Kicks compilation series mixed by Juan Maclean.

Let’s cut to the chase. This has no Benny Benassi substance. It’s no Louie DeVito mix. But, it’s more than your typical gym workout music.

For the high-energy club record, Maclean reached out to a variety of genres, from old school to classic tunes to Euro-house tracks and even to some of his own cuts. Overall, the mix sounds like lounge music with an electronic edge. There’s not too much bass, and there’s a lot of loose, echoed vocals.

Maclean’s 80-minute long fusion might not be up there with electronica’s finest, but his mixes, which segue impeccably into each other, deserve some credit and appreciation. Maybe you might want to download some of the tracks (“Spaghetti Circus,” “Like A Child” and “Simple Things”) onto your iPod for a 15-minute elliptical machine workout, but the songs have potential to go beyond that.

Grade: C+



DJ-Kicks is currently available.