Special Request - DJ-Kicks (2021)

Paul Woolford’s Special Request takes the reins of DJ-Kicks’ latest for a cosmic soulboy trip harmonising myriad stripes of astral jazz, disco, deep house, electro and classic ‘90s jungle

Over the course of 25 tracks in 75 minutes, Woolford illustrates the influences and styles of his Special Request project at its most widescreen and emotive, encompassing the far out coordinates of Sun Ra, the classic AI of Speedy J, and the ravishing jungle of Steve Gurley’s Four Horsemen, alongside a ruck of secret names such as LS1 Housing Project and Intergalactic Quartet that a quid’s bet would stake to Woolford himself.

It’s as much a showcase for SR’s influences as Woolford’s DJ tekkers, coolly scaling from unquantised jazz to grid-twysting breakbeat hardcore with an immaculate, harmonious flow taking in his aforementioned turns as Intergalactic Quartet alongside deep-end digs by Morgan Geist and Virgo Four, thru to his sparkling house nuggets as LS1 Housing Project and compatibles from AceMo and µ-Ziq, to a killer run of new/old jungle spanning Sonar’s Ghost aka Domu’s aggy take on ‘Drowning in Her’, a lush Tim reaper remix of SR’s ‘Pull Up’, and a scalp-tingling beatless collaboration with prodigal loiner 96 Back, named ’Petrichor.’