With the success of the weekly event came the release of Lazy Dog Volume 1 (2000) and Lazy Dog Volume 2 (2002), CDs featuring classic house grooves selected and mixed by Watt and Hannan. Though Volume 2 has been out for some months now and the tracks may sound a bit dated, it contains a few acclaimed remixes by the duo--most notably Sade's "By Your Side," which reached No. 2 on Billboard's dance chart in the U.S. The first time I ever heard the Watt/Sade track, I practically held my DJ friend captive until he burned me a copy so I could listen and dance to it repeatedly. If you aren't moved by the singer's sultry voice and the gorgeous piano work, there's just no hope for you whatsoever. Also included on Volume 2 is "It's Yours" by John Cutler, a track that reached No. 1 on the UK club charts. It's what I'd consider the honorary deep house anthem; if you've been out dancing to deep house lately, then you've heard it, probably way too much. The song warrants playing, though--it's punctuated by uplifting garage-soul vocals, brassy horn accents, and narration that asks, profoundly, why in hell we keep going out night after night. Watt and Hannan craft compilations that both the dance fanatic and the nine-to-fiver can find common ground in, exploring the parallels between jazz, salsa, and house.
It's not often that you have two of the UK's finest exports dropping their party off right on our doorstep. NICOLAE WHITE
Lazy Dog featuring Ben Watt and Jay Hannan, w/Wesley Holmes and Brian Pamintuan, Tues Dec 3 at Chop Suey, 1325 E Madison St, 324-8000, 9 pm-2 am, 21+, $10.