Blow Your Head 2: Dave Nada Presents Moombahton [CD]

The Moombahton sound was created by Dave Nada when the producer/DJ took Afrojack's remix of "Moombah" by Silvio Ecomo & Chuckie and mixed it with some pitched-down reggaeton beats. Of course, not everything here is a mix of Dutch house and slow reggaeton - and in the case of the Shabba Ranks' cut "Dew Bow," it's just simple, untouched dancehall - but the Moombahton sound reigns supreme as hypnotic, right-tempo beats mix with tropical flavors plus modern studio trickery, offering welcome relief from the usual 2011 dance floor onslaught. Nada's choices are laid out unmixed here, so listening to the disc straight through isn't a seamless experience, but the classic loft parties of David Mancuso are brought to mind, where "dead air" offered sweet, tension-building moments between the cuts. Like Mancuso, Nada's choices are often sensual, mostly sexy, and always stylish, plus, the bonus for fans of the scene are some unreleased cuts from Nadastrom, Dillon Francis, and Munchi. Cool veterans like Diplo and Win Win are here, too, along with Mad Decent's own South Rakkas Crew who out-robot label mate Major Lazer with their brilliant stab at futuristic dancehall. When it comes to Moombahton, Nada's always been the man. Now, Blow Your Head, Vol. 2 is the comp, and it's hard to imagine it ever being unseated.