Paul E. Lopes, Whatnaut: House

By Falice Chin

Toronto’s DJ proves that not all good Electronica scenes happen in the U.K. or San Francisco. Known for his massive collection of rare records, Paul E. Lopes’ first major label release Whatnaut: House makesa perfect compilation mix-remix for any decent urban club. Shoving aside all preconceptions of house as cheesy dance music, Lopes fuses many genres to create some very enjoyable Brazilian Funkadelic Jazz Soul vibe. The 16-track CD features many artists from around the globe to offer listeners wide variety, such as Canadian diva Ivana Santilli, German DJ Ian Pooley, London’s jazz singer Valerie Etienne, and many more.

There is some critique here and there about how Virgin Records might have made a major mistake in signing someone so different from mainstream house DJs, but I think it’s a great decision as major records should promote new sounds to the general public. Whatnaut: House is a quality release with fun booty-shaking beats all throughout. I look forward and hope to hear some of these songs being played on the dance floor alongside Faithless, Moloko, and Jamiroquai.