Kim Ann Foxman: “Return It” / “Hypnotic Dance”

Kim Ann Foxman
“Return It” / “Hypnotic Dance”
Needwant
2012-10-29

It’s sad to say, but dance music still seems to be primarily a man’s game. The ratio of male to female DJs is probably something like 1,000 to one, and it’s very rare that you see a woman spinning records inside clubs. That’s what makes techno and house DJ Kim Ann Foxman a breath of fresh air. Formerly someone who provided vocals to Hercules and Love Affair, Foxman has broken free of that group to pursue her own career as a producer and a DJ. While she has offered up her own material in the past, the single “Return It” (with “Hypnotic Dance” as the sort-of flip side, buoyed by a couple of remixes of “Return It”) marks her foray into the world of being a bona-fide solo artist not tethered to any group: another single is due in 2013 along with, one is hopeful, a full solo album.

“Return It” is clearly the work of someone who takes her craft very seriously, and while it won’t reinvigorate house music, it works pretty well as a dance track. There’s certainly a sense of passion and reverence for the genre in the music’s pulsing throbs. The only quibble one might have with the song is that Foxman doesn’t have a very soulful voice which makes the refrain “No more excuses / No more games” seem a little indirect. Still, it’s a very well done track, and the minimal “Hypnotic Dance” (as the de-facto B-side) might be even better, sounding a little like a classic dance cut that might have come out of the ‘80s. The remixes of “Return It” are pretty good, and as a taster for what’s to come, this single works overall as a primer for what Foxman is capable of. Despite her vocal failings, we should be very privileged that we have someone like Foxman blazing a trail as a true pioneer as a woman behind the decks. For that, we should be grateful. “No more excuses” for women to take that position, indeed.

RATING 7 / 10