'WHAT IS HOUSE MUZIK?' The question once posed by DJ PIERRE in 1994 on an old EMOTIVE 12inch, and one that many before him have asked themselves, doesn't seem entirely inapt here either... What does this PLAYHOUSE house look like anyway? The fourth part of PLAYHOUSE's compilation series 'FAMOUS WHEN DEAD' presents smart bungalows, sophisticated skyscrapers, elegant old buildings and monotonous cement blocks all standing side by side in peaceful harmony. So what we're dealing with here is definitely not just one specific house... no, here come lots of houses and lots of different architectural styles to form an interesting new entity. Although the houses are in Wellington, Oslo, Berlin, Cologne and London... Or, perhaps, precisely for that reason. Is it not true that it no longer matters nowadays whether an awesome Detroit track was played on tape at Motorcity, or compiled in Cologne, Warsaw or Buenos Aires? We think so and are looking forward to meeting the Belgian musician in Brooklyn, while feeling the epic atmosphere of the universe's vast expanses in cold, distant Norway. In London, Andrew Weatherall and his swordsmen unpack their guitars and drums once more and even in Hamburg ISOLɅ is willing to get out his 6-string for 'SCHRAPNELL' to create emotive sound foundations on RECLOOSE. Long-runners such as TIEFSCHWARZ's remix of SPEKTRUM's floorfiller rub shoulders with tranquil electro-pop from REWORK. MY MY in Berlin display a similar approach as the two gentlemen in California by the name of TEJADA/LEVISTE. Two captains who want to set the disco boat alight with us and MAX MOHR's 'OLD SONG' tastes like the first sip from a glass of good wine. And finally, LOSOUL, one of Playhouse's very first artists, creates a 10-minute house track with singer MALTE that avails itself of the German language without even feeling awkward. That's what it looks like, our Playhouse. Variety is the motto on 'FAMOUS WHEN DEAD' number 4, a representative cross-section of the best tracks in recent years. No more, no less. So 'WHAT IS HOUSE MUZIK?' - Let's see what DJ PIERRE says: 'A UNIQUE FORM OF MUSIC!'