TuneLab
Max Dean
Mixmag Lab London | Positiva takeover
Max Dean's Positiva takeover in the Mixmag Lab London begins with a Maan-extended 'Mr. Saxobeat', and immediately, the mission statement is clear: fun is not a dirty word. This is a set that embraces the big, silly, joy-inducing hook without an ounce of irony, for those of us who believe a dancefloor should be a place of celebration, not just contemplation. The vibe is vibrant and playful, a burst of primary colors in a usually monochrome world, where the only rule is to move. Technically, this is a vibrant, energetic blend of funky house and tech-house. Pushing an average of 127 BPM and overwhelmingly based in the euphoric key of 12A, the energy is balanced between a punchy mid-range and a significant high-end presence, giving the set a bright, upfront character.
Dean's mixing is energetic and precise, using quick cuts and loops to keep the momentum high, especially when dealing with vocal-heavy pop edits. The harmonic structure is straightforward but effective, using 12A as a home base to make every melodic hook and saxophone riff land with maximum impact. The track selection is unabashedly crowd-pleasing. Alexandra Stan's saxobeat is just the start. Joscho Stephan's gypsy-jazz-infused 'Struttin' with Some Barbecue' is a wild, brilliant left-turn. Sable Sheep's 'Lobotomize' and Antoine Clamaran's 'Do the Funk Dub' provide the driving, filtered-house muscle.
Rozalla's 'Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)' is a guaranteed hands-in-the-air moment, a classic deployed with perfect timing. SubNetix's 'Helitripper' and Tronic Sound's 'New Moon' offer darker, more techno-edged counterpoints. His own originals, like the closing track 'The Seducer' and the Azari & III edit 'Reckless', showcase his production chops within this funky framework. The journey is a relentless party: kicking off with the iconic sax riff, building to an ecstatic peak with the piano-driven euphoria of 'Everybody's Free', and closing with the driving, hypnotic pulse of his own 'The Seducer'. This Max Dean live set tracklist is a full-throttle celebration of house music's most joyful instincts.