"this is the best thing that I have done for ages, I think you'll love it.  I do!" Allister Whitehead

"We wanted to keep this mix as up front as possible and only use tunes that have come out in the past couple of months".  Allister Whitehead is talking about the music he has hand picked for this, his third album for Fantazia.   "So many compilations have tracks that are two or three years old and have already appeared on half a dozen albums.  Let's face it people these days are  very knowledgeable about House and they expect to hear new music".  Since Allister gave us a quote, he has totally revamped the original tracklist, producing a newer and extremely upfront selection of tunes, the majority of which are just released or about to be released.

Rest assured, "Just another mix album" this ain't.  It's a mix that owes as much to his ten years involvement with House music as it does the selection of upfront music.  Allister secured his first residency back in 1988 in his home town of Nottingham at the infamous Kool Kat, quickly followed by a regular slot at the equally legendary Venue, for many the original super club.   Things have now come full circle with the runaway success of the Zero G at The Essence in Nottingham, where he regularly indulge both himself  and the crowd by playing the entire night.

For all his turntable wizardry, his precision mixing skills and his integration of underground and chart bound tunes,  Allister still plays from where it counts, right from the heart.  "I don't structure my sets as such,  I feed from the crowd.  And to me, there are only two types of records - good ones and bad ones.  I like to play songs, music that actually mans something to people."

As in demand as he is as a guest jock, both internationally, Allister's involvement with music extends way beyond his DJ'ing.  His management agency has, in the space of just one year, established itself as one of the country's finest: he provides charts and reviews for a number of dance music and style magazines; and he also works as an A& R man for Fantazia, selecting tracks and signing artists for it's new label F1.

This years is going to see a change in Allister's DJ profile.  "Well, I'm still going to play all over the country, but I'm going to be playing a lot less often.  I think that's a trend that's starting to appear among particular DJs.  I want my DJ'ing to be more exclusive and to play at only the very best clubs.  I feel that it'll be a lot better for everyone".

"I've picked a few of my favourites, a few of which are currently huge and a few which will be massive in the future!" Tall Paul

In our confusing world where we have learnt that Little John was nothing of the sort, it is reassuring to discover that Tall Paul is, in fact, bloody tall.

Some DJs will regale you with all the weddings and barmitzvahs they had to do before they were given a chance at the local club.  Tall Paul Newman's story is a lot less glamorous than that, as he first spent his Saturday nights behind the bar at his father's club, Turnmills in central London.

After his first set, Turnmills predominately gay crowd were quick to bitch about this connection.  "It was maybe harder for me at first, but if I'd cleared the place I wouldn't be here now.  Nobody could argue with the jam-packed dance floor" he says.  Tall Paul was originally known for his hard up-front House, although he soon developed a more versatile approach outside the gay scene.  He is now a veteran remixer and among his achievements he was voted one of the world's top performers by DJ magazine.  He describes his style: "I'm a rocker of crowds.  I like to vibe off the crowd.  I like to get them reacting so I can get them into it"

There's been a mixture of tracks for his first Fantazia album "There's a couple of my favourite one's , some popular current stuff and some stuff which will be big in the future.  Its a very good reflection of what I'm playing  now.   It's also a good reflection of what I like. It starts off quite mellow and get full on, which is just how I DJ.  I don't go straight for the jugular, I like to build things up and at the end of the night the place should climactic"

As soon as Tall Paul was approach to mix an album for Fantazia , he know instantly that he wanted to do it and exactly which songs he wanted to play. He is a perfectionist, and when he realised that he had mislaid his only copy of the opening record, he spent a full day phoning around everyone he know and eventually located one with his friend in Texas.  One of the many places across the world that Paul has played. Even though Tall Paul enjoys his jet-set life he much prefers playing to his home crowds. Not many people know that his gigs are controlled by an unusual factor - football.    This means that he can get to use his Arsenal season ticket and see their away matches whenever he is out of town.  But to him nothing beats the British dance culture.  The whole scene, the whole vibe and the absolute enthusiasm of the club crowd are unbeatable.  "Places like Birmingham, Manchester and Sheffield.  It's the best".

Tracklist

Disc 1 - Allister Whitehead

Kuva - Isn't It Time (Dave Morales Euro Club Mix)
Serial Diva - Keep Hope Alive (Serial Club Mix)
Yojo Working - Hold On (12" Version)
Joy For Life - Watcha Gonna Do (Mainstreet Mix)
Solution - Feels So Right (Nush Club Mix)
Cool Jack - Jus' Come (Ralphie Main Mix)
D' Jaimin & Djaybee Feat Rose - Fever (Original Mix)
Z Factor - Gotta Keep Pushing (Expanded Mix)
Submerge feat Jan Johnstone - Take Me By The Hand (Vocal Mix)
Deep Zone feat Sybil Jefferies - Its Gonna Be Alright (DJ Guans Club Mix)
Funky Green Dogs - Fired Up (Twilo Anthem Edit)
Inner City - Do Me Right (Lisa Marie Exp. Master Mix)
NY's Finest - Do You Feel Me (Victor Simonelli Mix)
   
Disc 2 Tall Paul

One Dove - White Love (Psychic Masturbation Mix)
CJ Bolland - Sugar is Sweeter (Van Helden Remix)
Low Pressure - The Bifter (Original Mix)
Shazzaman - Phunkee Muzeek (A1 Mix)
Ace of Base - Living in Danger (Van Helden remix)
Lisa May - Curse of Voodoo Ray (Man Chiavellian Mix)
Blue Lagoon - Let the Music Hypnotise You (Rhythm Masters Dub)
Mary Kiani - 100% (Tall Paul Remix)
Natural Born Groovers - Forerunner (Experts mix)
Floor Federation - Love Resurrection (Strike Mix)
Digital Blondes - Antheum (Free Mix)
Red Sun - This Love (Long Red Sun mix)
Sunglasses Ron - Feel The Beat (Original Mix)
Jon The Dentist - Global Fazes (Original Mix)

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Reviews

Kicking off 97 in fine style, Fantazia once again come up with the goods, with another spotless chapter in their House Collection. They've even got Lynx on board as sponsors now, promising as a result of this partnership a party of gigantic proportions later in the year. On 24th March they launch their first ever US club event at Miami Beach's state of the art venue "Zepi Tepi". Tall Paul makes his debut on the series with his brand of full-on banging house , spinning tracks such as his own excellent remix of Mary Kianni's "100%" - still one of his best, and yet chartwise this track was a victim of unfortunate timing just before Christmas. Alongside this are Armand's mixes of CJ Bolland "Sugar is Sweeter" and Ace of Base "Living in Danger", One Dove "White Love", Red Sun "This Love", Natural Born Grooves "Forerunner", Digital Blondes "Antheum", and closing on a particularly frantic note with Sunglasses Ron and Jon the Dentist. Perhaps the most standout track on here for me is Shazzaman's "Phunkee Muzeek". The mixing has a very 'Live' feel, and is one of his smoothest. Allister Whitehead has mixed volumes 3 and 4, and returns with a set leaning more in a garage and vocal house direction, with submerge, Yojo Working, Inner City, Funky Green Dogs, D'Jaimin & Djaybee and Depp Zone, starting off on a firm footing with the Morales mix of Kuva "Isn't it Time" with its killer hooky bassline! He reckons it's the best thing he's done in ages, and we do too! MS ***** Mixology