Al de Leon

There are some DJs whose style works best at a day party when the sun is shining and you're dancing barefoot in the sand on some Mediterranean island. Behrouz isn't one of those DJs. His sound is the kind you want to hear when you're in the deepest, darkest corners of a club, getting lost in the music. To get an idea for his style, just check out the company he keeps--Behrouz is often compared to both Danny Tenaglia and Deep Dish, and he's even signed to the latter's Yoshitoshi record label. His club-friendly blend of tribal and progressive house music has been the soundtrack to countless club nights over the past two decades in his hometown of San Francisco and around the world, including Red Light in Paris and Pacha in Ibiza. On his newest compilation CD, "Renaissance Presents Frontiers," he paired with UK house jock Yousef. Behrouz has the honors on disc two, and he recorded the mix live in one take to give listeners a sense of what it's like to hear him spin at a club. Behrouz pulls that off and then some, transporting listeners onto the dance floor with a set that goes from deep progressive to sexed-up house, all with a tribal pulse that beats throughout. The best songs showcase stellar vocals, demonstrating Behrouz's ability to avoid the traditionally track-heavy sets found on many progressive-house mix CDs. The opening track, Phonique's "For the Time Being," harkens back to classic Depeche Mode, with light-as-air male vocals and an electro influence. Behrouz then also spotlights some killer tracks with female singers, including the sensual Spanish verses in "La Musica VS El Dinero" by Luca Ricci and the unique layering of deep house vocals over a progressive beat on "Island Breeze" by Pashka. Peak time starts toward the end of the disc with the simple vocal loop in the aptly titled "You Make Me Feel Extacy" by Sultan & Tommyboy. There's also some standard and boring, progressive fare on the disc that bogs down the mix, but the gems far outweigh the filler.

Behrouz spins at Sound-Bar, 226 West Ontario, (312)787-4480, on December 2.

(2005-11-29)

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