Live at Robert Johnson Vol.4 Thomas Hamman & Gerd Janson

"House House And More Fucking House" is printed in bold capital letters on those infamous T-shirts, the ones reminiscent of Katherine Hamnett's sloganeering and still very much in fashion in 2009. The sound we are talking about, of course, has had quite a striking return and it seems like there's no end in sight. Old heroes resound throughout the land and new ones appear on a daily basis; the-know-it-alls knew it all the time and new disciples have been converted in droves. The thing is: Those shirts don't fit everybody. Legions of once dubious characters are grinding their teeth. And the same goes for their music. Ex-minimalists try to evoke richness; former trance heralds strive to substitute kitsch with euphoria; ex-big-roomjocks attempt to transform sacred basement tracks into anthems; past sound-dogmatists seek to turn voices into sounds. To put it simply: A struggle for cultural resources dominates the picture. Traditions in opposition to progress, invaders against natives, art versus commerce, truthfulness opposed to a pack of lies, house versus house. Thomas Hammann and Gerd Janson are two guys who could care less about all that. As sophisticated and knowledgeable jacks of many trades- one is a devoted record shopkeeper, the other a label operator and music journalist; both are marvellous DJs-Thomas and Gerd enjoy a reputation for quality. True believers, idealistic activists and discreet ambassadors of the cause, they have run Robert Johnson's renowned Liquid night in Offenbach for nine years now: They are men of conviction. They are men who know how house truly works, how it sounds best, what house can evoke and most of all what you need to evoke that. They are house, they care for it and they share it. The magic of their joint efforts not only unites them both; it also unites them with their Liquid customers, the dancers right there at Robert Johnson. It's a residency and club forum other DJs would sell their grandma for, and it attracts a horde that undergoes pilgrimages to see it in full bloom. Liquid is a club night that works because it's made for a blended family-anyone and everyone who wants to join in. And this is its soundtrack. A sound that builds bridges from yesterday to today and from the United States to Europe and back again. A sound that pays homage to disco's legacy and its revenge, flirts with techno right across the dance floor, is self-assured, holds its head up high, is humble, graceful and lofty at the same time, zigzags, flows, is demanding and giving, is game for everything, is reactionary and progressive, is vintage and modern, gives and takes, moves and stops, seems to be light, dark and suspicious, is morning after and night before, sings and swings, loves and wants to be loved, is really and truly and beautiful. All that, and then some.